California Summers
by SugarFlower77
Summary: Summary Inside.
1. California Summers: Summary

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**Summary**  
This is the story of how two teens, Jen and Jesse first meet each other in Los Angeles the summer before their sophmore year in highschool. Jen, a New Yorker goes out to California to spend the summer with her 18 year old cousin and a little time away from the tense school atmosphere she left back home. Her cousin Cali has just finished her senior year in highschool and debates the status of her relationship with her best friend Tanner, Jesse's older brother who has managed to be there for her since the day he first moved to LA. Jesse also is spending the summer with his older brother and has fled Miami where his life spun out of control. He struggles to piece back together the broken relationship with his brother and parents after his irresposibilty took things dangerously far. He encounters Jen and discovers that she might be the one who can help him rebuild his life. Jesse questions if he's ready to open himself up to anyone again, Jen questions if she can handle someone like Jesse, and Cali and Tanner decide if they want to maintain their relationship now that highschool is over. This story is filled with many dramatic twists and turns as well as the highs and lows of summer romance. Enjoy!

This is somewhat of a Jesse McCartney fanfiction. The main character is based off of Jesse McCartney. The names of many characters were borrowed from Summerland but are not the characters from the show. This story is entirely fictional and is not based off of Summerland.


	2. Chapter 1: The Summer Begins

Chapter One

Six hours, three playlists, and a thousand miles later her summer began in the 90 degree California heat. Jen stepped of her newly arrived flight from New York, and looked around, nervously scanning the faces of all of the strangers that bustled about Los Angeles International Airport.

"Jenny! Hey babe! How are you?" said a familiar voice from behind her.

Her eyes slowly moved in the in the direction of a tall blonde girl who waved at her from a distance. After a brief moment of confusion, Jen recognized the stranger to be her older cousin Cali who she hadn't seen in nearly three years. Quite a few summers had passed since two had last visited one another and the change in both their appearances made instant recognition more difficult than expected. Jen struggled her way through the gate; her bags weighing heavily down on her shoulders and headed slowly in the direction of her cousin, who was making her way over to assist her with her bags. She had over packed as usual, but being the 16 year old Teen Vogue addict she was, good fashion and an expansive wardrobe were a high priority. Cali took a few of Jen's bags from her and briefly placed them on the floor.

"Jenny ben how are you! I've missed you girly! You look great! Turning into a regular hottie I see. Love the outfit! I see some of my fashion sense has rubbed off on you after all! How's everything? " Cali said excited. Something in between jet lag and the need for a 3 hour nap took what was left of Jen's enthusiasm out of the moment.

"Hey! I've missed you too, Mrs. Laguna Beach. How's life out here in the OC? You look great too! Your hair is a lot blonder than I remember." she replied laughing while taking a closer look at her now 18 year old cousin.

Cali was fairly tall, always a couple of inches ahead of Jen. She had a perfect caramel colored tan, and natural blonde hair that she had recently highlighted. Her eyes were sparkling blue and often changed colors in the summertime. She was thin, a cross between an athlete and a preppy California girl. Jen had always known that Cali was gorgeous and extremely popular with most of the senior boys in high school, but despite her looks it really was her bubblegum personality that caught their attention. Cali smiled at her and continued their conversation.

"Life is great, sure it can get a little dramatic at times but I'm excited for college and spending the summer with you squirtle!" she said light heartedly. Jen made a sad attempt at laughing but was too exhausted to pull it off.

"Hey now don't tell me you're tired already?" Cali said disappointed.

"Well yea…actually I could use…"

"Espresso? It's the only way to survive around here." Her cousin interrupted.

"Nap was the word I was looking for." Jen replied.

"Who needs to sleep when you've got Starbucks, I'll get you a double shot and you'll be set." Cali reached down and picked up one of Jen's shoulder bags and headed with her towards the nearly Starbucks kiosk.

The two ordered coffees, then headed to baggage claim to retrieve the rest of Jen's things. After a few minutes waiting and a few cycles of suitcases, Jen spotted her bags, retrieved them then headed outside to the lobby with Cali to wait.

"Hey Cal what are we waiting for? Aren't we going back to your place?" Jen asked.

"Nah, I thought you should have a proper LA welcome. A few of my friends are picking us up and we're going to spend the day in the city!" Cali replied excitedly.

Jen forced a smile, and tried to avoid falling into the cranky, jet lagged slum that the usual not so frequent flyer was accustomed to. She would have preferred a shower and a long nap to adventure, but she had just stepped into a fast paced world and now it was her responsibility to keep up.

A pearl colored Cadillac Escalade pulled up in front of the airport about twenty minutes after Jen's arrival. Four people about Cali's age jumped out of the car and walked over in her direction. They stood out from the crowds of people around them. Their more than confident swagger and nouveau riche fashion sense made them unique. Jen was quick to notice how different their style was from her friends back home and found it more intriguing then eccentric. Two of the older girls ran over to Cali and hugged her, while the boys followed close behind. Jen observed quietly from her seat as the group began laughing and talking amongst themselves. She couldn't help but feel a little nervous at first but wasn't going to let shyness get the best of her. After a few moments of somewhat exclusive conversation, Cali drew her friend's attention to her younger cousin. Jen nervously looked from one person to the next curious as to what each of them would think of her. Cali's introductions never failed to include some embarrassing fact or comment about the person she was introducing and Jen, who was very well aware of this, prepared herself for the worst as Cali hushed her friends so that she could speak.

"Okay guys this is my cousin, Jenny. She just flew in from New York today so forgive the whole east coast look she's got going on, we'll have her walking and talking California ASAP. And yes, I know she's gorgeous but she's also 16 so none of you can touch her got it?" she announced sarcastically. The two boys exchanged mischievous glances as Cali continued.

"Alright on to the introductions, Jen meet Riley he's a crazy good surfer and hopefully will be going pro later this year." Jen smiled shyly and was surprised to receive a high five from Riley in return.

"Sup?" he said casually.

Cali walked over and placed her arm around a chestnut haired boy standing next to Riley. "This is Tanner he's the stud, complete and total ladies man, also a champion swimmer…"

Tanner shook Jen's hand. "Hey, Cali didn't tell us you were as pretty as she was, nice to meet you."

Jen's cheeks turned a shade of pink as Tanner spoke to her. He was gorgeous and quite the smooth talker. Jen felt her knees wobble a bit but regained her composure as Cali continued with her introductions.

"And these are my two best friends, Hailey and Sam. Both were members of our high school varsity volley ball team, along with me of course for 4 years straight, we've hung out together ever since." The two girls politely waved at Jen. The red haired girl Sam was the first to notice Jen's coyness around the two guys.

"Hey, you don't have to worry about those two they're harmless" she remarked.

Hailey joined the conversation, "She's right, they hang out with us just so they can look cool. Pretty sad huh?" she teased.

The two girls spoke with Jen for a while and made her feel much more comfortable around the others then she had before. Jen was enjoying her day so far, she had met a wonderful group of people who had been very receptive and kind to her, and looking forward to her summer ahead, she stopped and thought to herself, "Maybe, California won't be so bad after all." She concluded while taking the last sip of her espresso.


	3. Chapter 2: Four Friends & A Stranger

Cali and her friends spoke with Jen for a while. The age difference became much less noticeable as Jen told Cali's friends about herself and they shared their own stories with her. Cali withdrew from their conversation for a minute.

"Hey Tanner, where's your brother? I thought he got here earlier this morning." she asked.

"Yea, he flew in this morning, he's waiting in the car." Tanner said quietly.

"Didn't he want to come out and say hello? I haven't seen that punk in a while and I'm sure Jen would like to meet him." She asked.

"I don't know Cal…He hasn't said two words to me since he's been here…I guess he's still pretty traumatized from what happened a few weeks ago…but you know what, I shouldn't be discussing this." He mumbled.

"Well, at least its good that you guys will have the summer together. Maybe things will get better between you two." Cali said optimistically.

"Yea…maybe…" he replied.

Tanner hadn't seen Jesse very often since their parents divorce, the two had been separated for the most of the year, but considering they way their relationship was, separating them might have been for the better. Their mother and father agreed that Jesse should to spend some time away from home; in the light of recent events, getting him out of Miami was a good idea. Regardless of how bad things were between Jesse and Tanner's parents divorce wise, the recent occurrence in Jesse's life gave them good reason to be concerned for his well-being. Jesse was going to be staying with Tanner for the summer. His mother had hoped that by having Jesse spend time with Tanner during his last summer before college, the two would have time grow closer and fix the breaks in their relationship. Tanner wasn't too crazy about spending his senior summer with his little brother, but as soon as he saw Jesse and how much the incident six weeks before had changed him, he was much more accepting of his brother's company.

"I...I don't really…I just don't get him anymore he's so different then I remember." Tanners voice trailed off as old worries began to resurface. Cali placed her hand gently on his shoulder.

"He'll be alright Tan, its just going to take some time to get him back on his feet. He's been through a lot and is lucky to be here at all considering what's happened." She said quietly. An awkward silence began to settle in among the group. Jen looked from person to person curious as to what they were talking about. She cleared her throat, "…What happened? To your brother I mean…if you don't mind me asking."

Tanner stepped forward and looked directly at her. "…a few weeks ago my younger brother was out with a few friends back home and…."

"Can we go now?" said an unfamiliar voice from behind.

Standing in front of the automatic doors of the airport was a young boy about Jen's age. He was a bit shorter then Tanner was but not by much. He wore all black, which made him contrast greatly with the rest of the lively world around him. His hair was a golden California blonde and his skin sun kissed.

"Wow…" Jen said under her breath. He was very attractive, but the infuriated look on his face as he approached them frightened her. Tanner turned around to face his brother who was staring directly at him, his cloudy green eyes piercing right threw older siblings cool demeanor. Tanner swallowed hard and tried to speak with him.

"Jesse I…"

"When I told you not to talk about my life to other people… I meant it…" he said sharply.

"Listen Jess…I was just…" Jesse cut him off mind sentence.

"You were just what? Gossiping? Trying to start up a juicy conversation with your ex girlfriend so you can get in her pants later?" he sneered. Tanner struggled to control himself.

"Watch your mouth." He said sternly.

Jesse smirked. "Aw I hit a soft spot didn't I. Well now you know how it feels. When say don't talk about..." Tanner cut him off.

"About what? Your incident 6 weeks ago? I'm just getting started…"

Jesse became increasingly apprehensive as their argument continued. He knew where the current conversation was headed and that Tanner was willing to take things further than they needed to go. Cali also sensed the change in Tanner's mood and tried to intervene.

"Tanner just leave it alone…" she said while placing her hand on his shoulder in attempt to calm him.

He stepped away from her. "Stay out of this he needs to learn a lesson." he whispered. With no intention of self restraint, Tanner raised his voice so that everyone could hear him.

"You don't need to worry about people finding out Jess, they already know…" he shouted. Jesse's face went blank.

"H-how do they…you didn't…you promised me you wouldn't say anything!" he yelled.

"News travels fast, I only told them because they're my friends and I trust them not to tell anyone outside our group." He replied.

"I don't give a fuck who you trust, you should learn to keep your mouth shut!" Jesse said furiously.

"I'd watch it Jesse, if you haven't noticed not everyone here knows, Cali's cousin hasn't heard about your accident maybe I should tell her too…"

Jen's stomach lurched as she found herself being pulled into the middle of an argument she didn't want to have anything to do with. Cali saw that the situation was getting out of hand and tried again to end it.

"Tanner please, that's enough." she pleaded. Jesse interrupted her.

"My accident huh? The only accident I ever made was hooking up with that slut of a girlfriend of yours back home…but hey at least you've found someone else for me to fool around with." he said viciously. Tanner couldn't believe what he was hearing, and despite his visible frustration Jesse continued.

"The day you left to live with dad, Cassie came over to our house a few hours after you were gone. She was so upset, crying I think, but don't worry I made her forget all about you in three hours flat. It was easy, just like she was." He said smirking.

Before anything else could be said, Tanner reached out and hit Jesse in the side of the face as hard as he could. Jesse hit the tile floor so fast he barely had the time to realize what had happened. Cali and Riley quickly took hold of both of Tanner's arms and held him back away from his brother.

"Listen up you little nobody…" he shouted. "At least when I fuck around with people they don't end up DEAD Jesse!" Without saying another word, Tanner released himself from Cali and Riley's grip and then stormed out of the airport with everyone but Cali following close behind.

Cali stayed with Jen. "I'll be back in a second, I need to calm him down, you guys hang out here for the time being." Cali said then quickly walked out of the airport hoping to catch up with Tanner.

Confused and a bit shell shocked by the situation, Jen stood quietly in the lobby waiting for some inspiration as to what she should do. She looked over at Jesse who was still lying on the ground resting on his elbows. He finally mustered the strength to pull himself up into a nearby chair where he sat in complete silence. He stared down at the floor, his eyes burning with tears that he wiped away as quickly as they fell. Jen noticed the sporadic rising and falling of his chest and the quick uneven breaths he took as he cried silently to himself. Jesse hoped she wouldn't notice but when he saw her move closer as if she were going to speak to him, he quickly rubbed his eyes and turned away from her. He didn't want anyone else to see him like this especially someone he knew he'd be seeing again. Jen remained unsure of what to do or say to him. The awkward silence between them made her uneasy, and the current circumstances made casual conversation impossible. She knew she was going to be the one to break the ice and would have preferred an ice pick to the toothpick that fate had handed her.


	4. Chapter 3: Get Tangled Up in Me

She felt her throat go dry as she prepared to introduce herself.

"Hi I'm…" she said as she reached out to shake his hand. He glared at her then impulsively slapped her hand away from him.

"I don't need or want your help, so can you leave? Thanks." he said bitterly while avoiding making any eye contact with her.

"No I'm having a great time chillin right here k?" she replied sarcastically. He rolled his eyes and shoved his hands deep into his pockets.

"I'm Jen…" She said confidently, then extended her hand towards him once again. Jesse folded his arms and stared at her.

"Great. I don't care." He snapped.

"Okay then, if you don't wanna do names do you wanna explain to me what happened back there with Tanner?" she asked. He glared at her.

"I don't even know you." He grumbled.

"You'll get to know me." She replied sassily.

"Oh yea? What makes you think I'd want to have anything to do with you?" he retorted, while unwrapping a piece of silver wrapped chewing gum.

Jen abruptly stood up and walked towards him. Jesse sat rigid in his chair as she came closer. She leaned over and placed her hand gently on the side of his face then slowly moved it down his cheek, while looking directly into his eyes.

"Does this still hurt?" She asked in almost whisper.

Jesse was so confused by her sudden sultry advances that he couldn't think straight. "Uh….um…ah…y-yea…uhuh." He mumbled. She smiled briefly then gently kissed his slightly bruised cheek and walked back to her seat. Jesse's sat there motionless and could feel his face turning bright red.

"From the looks of it you clearly don't seem to mind me at all." she said smirking.

"Fuck off…I didn't ask for a friend." He replied while trying to fight back his embarrassment and apparent attraction to her.

"Well, you've got one, so deal." she said triumphantly. Jesse stood up and flattened out the creases in his jeans.

"Whatever I'm out of here. Tell my asshole brother I'm walking home." He remarked. Jen looked down at her watch then stood up and began gathering her bags together.

"What are you talking about? Cali should be here any minute to pick us up." Jesse looked at her defensively.

"Us?"

"Yes us. I'm not all that bad you know." She said sarcastically.

"Depends on who you're asking…" he replied. Jen shook her head and sighed.

"Look, can we start over? I know you haven't exactly had your choice in mornings and if I made it any worse, I'm sorry I guess. Anyway, it's nice to meet you Jess." She said sincerely. He eyed her cautiously then took her had in his.

"…I uh…its nice to meet you too... happy now?" He said quietly.

Jen laughed lightheartedly at his sudden shyness. The sound of her laugh unexpectedly caught his attention, and briefly lifted his spirits a little. He let his eyes wander and not so subtly looked her over for the first time since they'd met. Her hair was long and golden brown in color and her slender, curvy figure didn't fail catch his immediate attention. He subtly admired her smile, and caught a glimpse of her cinnamon brown eyes when she looked back at him. Jen's laughter trailed off when she suddenly noticed that he was watching her. Her eyes suspiciously met his and she struggled to look away.

"Guys!" said a familiar voice from behind them. Jen turned around to see Cali standing impatiently behind her. Cali couldn't help but notice the awkward silence that she had just interrupted and felt the need to comment.

"Wow did I just interrupt a moment kiddies?" she teased. Jen and Jess stood quietly staring at each other for reasons Cali found more than romantically obvious.

"Hello? Earth to space cadets do you copy?" she said sarcastically.

" Yea…what's up Cal?" Jen replied as though she had just been woken up.

"Well, Tanner took off, which basically screws up my plans for the day…but my roommate is coming to pick us up and she and I know a couple kid friendly places where we can hang out." she said in her usual cheerful tone. Jesse raised his eyebrows and stared at Cali.

"Kid friendly?" he snickered. Jen rolled her eyes.

"She's kidding Jess…lighten up a little bit. Tanner's not here, you can chill." She said sarcastically.

"Did you really have to bring him into this?" he said irritably.

"Wow. Sorry. I didn't think you'd make such a big deal out of it." She said while hiding the fact that she felt somewhat guilty about mentioning Tanner.

"Can you send her home? She's annoying the fuck out of me." he snapped.

"What did you say?!" Jen said while stepping towards him.

"You heard me."

"Break it up you to!" Cali said authoritatively while keeping Jen and Jesse from killing each other.

"Let's go wait outside, Sophie will be here soon." She remarked while heading towards the front exit. Jesse looked at her puzzled.

"Hold up…Tanner didn't really leave me alone with you guys did he?" he said sullenly.

"You bet he did, So it looks like you're gunna have to spend the day with a couple of gorgeous girls is that ok with you?" she said winking.

"Can't he just get over himself and take me home… " he moped.

"Jesse, Tanner is really not in the best mood right now and he's definitely not taking you anywhere with him today so your just going to have to go with the flow. Okay?" Cali replied making it as clear as possible that he wasn't going to get his way.

"No. Ouch!" Jen quickly elbowed Jesse in the ribs before he could continue arguing.

"He meant yes…"she turned and glared at Jesse.

"He's coming…" she said grinning.

"Fine…but when I get to your house I'm walking home." He mumbled, feeling discontent with how his day was turning out.

"Sounds good. By the way Jen incase you're interested Tanner's only a couple of houses down from us, so you'll be seeing a lot of Jesse this summer." She teased. Jen faked a disgusted expression.

"Uh I don't know where you got that idea but…that's just great. If he knows what's good for him he'll keep off my property." She retorted.

"Same goes for you, princess." He replied. Jen flipped him off. Cali rolled her eyes and handed Jen one of her suitcases.

"Okay love birds lets take these bags outside and get going!" Cali said excitedly. Jen sighed then picked up her bags and started towards the exit of the airport. As she and Cali were walking out they quickly realized that the weight of the bags they were carrying was a bit too much for them to handle. They hadn't gone a few steps when Cali motioned to Jesse.

"Hey Jess give us a hand here will you?" she said while struggling to keep her balance. Jesse paid no attention to either Cali nor Jen's pleas and walked straight past them.

"Hey asshole, she was talking to you!" Jen shouted. Jesse turned and spun around on the heel of his feet to faced them.

"Sorry guys, my hands are full." He said while quickly shoving his hands into his pockets and pulling out two handfuls of licorice for himself. He winked and flashed a smile at Jen who was mouthing numerous inaudible obscenities at him.

"Are you kidding me?" Jen shouted furiously.

He simply ignored her and shoved a few pieces of candy in his mouth and shrugged.

"Sowry no caaan do ladiess" he mumbled.

Jen shot him a glare intended to kill. Jesse widened his eyes and childishly imitated Jen's infuriated expression, then, seeming quite content with successfully pissing Jen off turned around, stuck the headphones of his Ipod in his ears and walked out of the building.


	5. Chapter 4: Reasons

"When I put my bags down I hope you know I plan on strangling him." Jen said sarcastically through clenched teeth. Cali laughed.

"Ah you get used to him he's just a little moody at the moment, give him time and he'll come around." she replied still quite amused by her cousins frustration.

Jen sighed. "A little moody?"

"It's a little more complicated than that Jen. The past couple of months have been really hard for him, and he's been through a lot and we're lucky his this nice! He's still got a ways to go before he's back on his feet so just be patient." She replied seriously.

"What exactly happened Cal? And why is everyone so hush hush about it? Is it that really that serious?" Jen said irritably.

"It's not something meant for casual conversation and you saw how he blew up at Tanner for telling our little group of friends. I know Jess pretty well and he probably doesn't want anyone else finding out about certain aspects of his life. But don't get him wrong, he's really a sweet kid it's just when he doesn't want people knowing things about him, he makes sure to keep them out and trust me at this point he has every right to." Jen looked down at her shoelaces.

"Yea…I guess…but sweet is the last word that comes to mind when describing him." she said crossly.

"No, he is…it's just with everything he's had to deal with over the past couple months he doesn't want to get attached to many people you know? He's definitely changed and its understandable but Tanner and I still worry about him. I just hope he gets back on his feet soon." She replied uncomfortably. Jen noticed Cali chewing her lip the way she usually would when she was worried or deep in thought.

"You okay Cal?" she asked.

"Yea, I'm just thinking…" she replied somberly.

"About Tanner maybe?" Jen teased. The color in Cali's cheeks returned at the mention of Tanner's name.

"Hey now, Tanner and I are…well…its complicated. " she said smiling.

"Riight. You two have been 'best friends' for 2 years now. I don't see what's so complicated about the fact that you both clearly like each other." Jen said smirking.

"This is coming from the girl who kissed that boy over there within 30 seconds of meeting him, but it was cute you made him blush. Oh and way to stand in the middle of an airport lobby checking each other out. It was classic." Cali replied. Jen rolled her eyes.

"Oh please. That kiss was strictly business, I was proving a point, nothing more. Cali you know I think he is the most obnoxious ass I…"

"Its okay, I know you want him, don't be embarrassed, it's natural, he's a cute guy you're a cute girl, people change…and occasionally hook up over the summer..." Cali teased. Jen attempted to play off her bashfulness by failed miserably. Had it not been for her complexion, Jen's whole face would have been bright red.

"Those pretty green eyes got to you huh?" Jen glared at her.

"No…well, yea, kinda…a little bit…but hey we should get going I think I see Sophie outside!" she said in a desperate attempt to change the subject.

"Alright…I see how it is but I'm keeping my eye on you two…" Cali replied laughing.

"Have fun with that…" Jen said half relieved that the conversation was finished. As soon they started towards the exit, Cali and Jen noticed Jesse motioning for them to hurry up through the window.

"Well you know how he gets, let's go!" Cali remarked as the walked through the automatic doors and outside.

While Cali walked off to look for Sophie's car, Jen walked over and dropped her bags next to a bench where Jesse was. Not to her surprise, she found him lying fully stretched out and half sleep. His feet were crossed and he rested his hands behind his head. His eyes were closed and he nodded his head back and forth to music playing loudly from his headphones. Jen tapped him on the shoulder and he shrugged her away and continued about his business. Jen was growing tired of his attitude, and certainly wasn't known for her endless patience. In the hour she'd known him she could already tell that being around him was going to be much more difficult then she expected. There he was lying on the bench acting like he owned it, he didn't care if she needed a place to sit, he was happy where he was and if she didn't like it that was her problem. The thought of being polite and moving his feet certainly didn't cross his mind, he just sat there completely oblivious to his surroundings. Even though Jen was disgusted by his behavior she tried as hard as she could to politely ask him to move.

"Jesse…" she said while attempting to keep herself calm. "Could you please…"

"I'm not a perfect person…." he sang to himself.

"You've got that right…"she mumbled.

"Move over!" she said angrily.

"….There's many things I wish I didn't do but I continue learning I never meant to do those things to you…" he continued to sing along to Hoobastank's The Reason. Jen took him by his feet and pushed them off the and bench onto the floor. Jesse immediately sat up, and after realizing where he was, he tugged on the cord of his headphones, and enabled himself to hear but not necessarily listen to what Jen was saying. He moved his eyes lazily in her direction and stared at her.

"What the hell was that?" he said rudely.

"Sitting down…got a problem?" she answered.

"Yea I do. There's another bench over there your highness. Or are you that obsessed with me that you can't help but stalk me everywhere I go?" He said pompously. His comment made her nauseated.

"Oh. That's obviously it Jesse. I clearly am madly in love with you and can't last five minutes without seeing your ugly face."

"Why do you talk so much?"

"Why are you such an ass?" Jen said again regretting starting another conversation with him.

"I have my reasons." He said while rummaging through his pockets in search of another piece of licorice.

"What reasons?" she asked.

"Just drop it okay? I'm done talking to you." He snapped. Jen was tired of talking to him questioned him no further.

"Ditto." She said irritably then sat down in the space where his feet had been. Jesse slid down into a comfortable position on the bench, his posture reflecting his attitude. He spent a minute untangling his headphones, and after freeing them turned on his music, closed his eyes, and began to hum quietly to himself. Jen looked over at Jesse who had slumped down so far that his shoulders were at the level of her waist. He looked like he hadn't cared for anyone or anything in quite a while. Jen recalled what Cali had said about Jesse, how he hadn't always acted the way he did now. She looked at him trying to imagine what possibly could have occurred in his life that would change him this drastically.

"What happened to you?" she said softly enough so that only she could hear.

Her train of thought was broken by the loud honking of a car horn. Sophie, Cali's roommate, pulled up in Cali's brand new car, which she got from her parents for her 18th birthday. It was a brand new black BMW convertible, and Jesse, being the boy that he was jumped right out of his seat and marveled at the sight of Cali's car.

"Nice Cali. Can I drive?" he said as he put on his pair of Okley's and gave Cali a little smile. She smiled at him warmly when she noticed the Jesse she remembered briefly reappear.

"Hey I'll let you ride in it if you help Jen with her bags."

"Do I have to?' he said sarcastically.

"Help her out Jess" Cali said as she got into the drivers seat. Jesse and Jen helped each other with her bags until all of them had been loaded into the trunk, and then sat down in the back while Cali and Sophie decided where to go. Cali started the car turned on the radio and drove out of the airport.

"Okay guys were gunna head over to Surfs Up to grab some lunch and then we can go hang out at the boardwalk for a little while, there's stuff like a Ferris wheel and bumper cars there! Is that cool?" she asked while brushing strands of blonde hair out her eyes.

"Yea sounds great!" Jen said excitedly.

"What about you Jess? Sound fun?" Cali said. He didn't answer. Jen reached over and took off his sunglasses, to find him thoroughly enjoying a cat nap. Jen looked at him and smiled. He stirred a little, and made a soft sound that Jen couldn't recognize at first. She listened for a minute, and realized that he was singing.

"I found a reason….to show…a side of me…you didn't know….a…reason for all….that I…do….and…the…reason…"

"Is you" she replied, without a moment's hesitation.


	6. Chapter 5: The Boardwalk

"Whoa I'm full…"Jesse said patting his stomach.

"Well I hope you guys didn't eat too much cuz were heading over to the boardwalk now." Cali said as she got up from the table.

"Is it far from here?" Jen asked.

"No, we can walk it's only a couple of blocks." The four of them walked outside and headed over to the boardwalk. It was a clear summer afternoon; a sweet scent carried threw the breeze, as a breath of wind from the sea filled the air. Jen looked out at the endless stretch of ocean. She listened to the slow and steady lull of the waves crashing on the shore as she walked. This place was unique in itself, it contained a type of beauty she knew existed nowhere else she'd seen before. Jen thought quietly to herself as she walked slowly towards the carnival lights. She recalled all the crazy events of the day, and laughed softly to herself. Within only a few hours she'd seen and been apart of fist fights, childish arguments, and well kept secrets. What a day it had been! She had walked off a plane right into the dramatic lives of 4 inseparable friends, her own crazy/carefree cousin, and a mysterious boy who was soon to play a major role in her summer life, maybe even bigger then she could've expected. She glanced over at Jesse who walked silently next to Cali. He looked down at his shoes, his steps were heavy as if he were burdened by his thoughts. Jen wanted to look into his eyes again; she wanted the chance to try to understand what went on in that complicated mind of his. She'd met so many different kinds of people in her life, but had yet to stumble across another like Jesse.

"I'm riding the bumper cars!" Cali shouted as she excitedly ran towards the line for the ride. Sophie followed close behind. Jen and Jesse walked sluggishly over to the long line of people waiting for the bumper cars. It was a busy night at the boardwalk. The crowds were large mostly made up of groups of flirtatious sixteen to eighteen year old guys and girls. Jesse and Jen stood in line, neither one of them too crazy about riding the cars directly after eating.

"…I think if I look at another piece of food I'm gunna be sick…" Jen complained.

"I hear that…" Jesse said.

"Hey do you wanna go walk around for a little bit? Right now there's no way I can handle any sudden movements." Jen asked smiling.

"Haha yea totally" Jesse laughed.

"Oh! Looky there that's the second time today!" Jen said pointing her finger at Jesse.

"What? Oh...yea whatever I smiled, why can't you leave me alone? You treat me like I'm an alien or something, I do smile and laugh you know! I am human." He retorted.

"Really? I never would have guessed" she said sarcastically.

"Shut up…" he replied.

"Well are we going or are you gunna stand there all night?" Jesse said impatiently.

"Yea I'm coming…are you!"

The two walked off in the direction of the Ferris wheel. They passed an array of small surf shops, and gaming booths. Every now and then Jen would stop and look around in a store, trying on funny hats and wacky tacky sunglasses. Jesse would just lean lazily up against the door way and wait for her to rejoin him. They continued walking,

"Look at all of the lights and people here! Amazing non?" she said excitedly.

"It's just a carnival you're acting like it's the first one you've ever been to." Jen looked at him strangely, and sighed.

"You know…you really take the fun out of everything…" Jesse looked at her with a hurt expression on his face,

"I…I don't mean to…" he looked away from her.

"You just need to learn how to stop taking everything so seriously! Lighten up a little bit will ya!" she poked him in his side. Jesse jumped three feet away from her.

"Don't do that..." he warned.

"Do what? This?" Jen jumped right behind him and repeatedly started poking his sides.

"No no no! Please stop! I can't breathe" Jesse whined but she continued to ignore his pleas. He squirmed and twitched as Jen persisted tickling him. He finally spun around and grabbed both Jen's hands preventing her from continuing. He stepped forward still holding her wrists. Jesse's face was uncomfortably close to hers. He widened his eyes and smiled at her mischievously.

"Gotcha!" he said teasingly.

"Get off!" Jen suddenly without hesitation kicked Jesse in his shin. He cursed loudly and grabbed his leg.

"What the hell was that for!" he said angrily.

"I was just kidding around! It looks like you're the one who should take things less seriously!" he continued. Jen looked away from him.

"Listen I don't have anything against you, its just…there are some people who just don't understand the meaning of personal space…" Jesse released her hands and looked at her concernedly.

"What do you mean?" he said surprised at Jen's seriousness.

"Never mind you wouldn't get it…" she said quietly.

"Try me." He said coolly. Jen and Jesse continued walking.

"A last year we moved into our new house upstate, and my parents sent me to this school where I didn't really know many people. So, the first day I get there I make a few friends and end up meeting this guy Rory. He invited me to this party after school and I was stupid and ended up going. When I got to his house everybody was drunk. Next thing I know I'm in his room and he's kissing me and trying to my skirt off. I wasn't going to let him take advantage of me so I grabbed one of his baseball trophies off the wall and hit him with it. I bolted and when I got home I told my parents and my dad the lawyer brought the guy up on charges he end up having to transfer schools. So I guess ever since then I've been kinda obsessive about people being in my space." Jen tried to laugh it off but when she saw the serious look on Jesse's face her laughter faded. She felt a shiver move down her spine when she noticed his new found concern for her.

"….it won't happen again…" Jesse said softly after a long silence.

Jen was taken aback by his response. "…people should think twice before they mess around with my friends…" he said reassuringly.

Jen smiled tenderly at him but quickly returned to her usual self and ran over towards the Ferris wheel line. "C'mon slow poke if we hurry we can make it on this ride!" she said eagerly.

"I'm comin' I'm comin'" Jesse said as he jogged over to the line of people waiting to ride the Ferris wheel. Jen and Jesse looked around at the people standing in line most of them were couples. Jen looked at a particular couple who were holding hands and kissing while waiting in line.

"How romantic!" she cooed.

"They're gross, can't they make out somewhere else." Jesse said irritably. He raised his voice so that the couple could hear him "Um, excuse me could you get a room not everyone here wants to watch you guys play tonsil hockey." The couple turned around, glared at Jesse then continued kissing as if he hadn't said anything at all.

"That was rude Jess." Jen scolded.

"They're the ones being rude."

"Leave them alone!" she argued.

"Whatever, it's still disgusting." Jesse said shoving his hands in his pockets. The lined gradually moved up until it was Jen and Jesse's turn to get on. They handed a scruffy looking man their tickets and sat down in one of the seats on the Ferris wheel. After a few minutes, the wheel began to move taking them higher and higher above the boardwalk.

"Wow" Jen sighed.

"Yea…looking at the sunset is kinda cool from up here." Jesse said while gazing at the sun's reflection on the water.

"Its funny, this morning I was about ready to strangle you but I guess Cali was right, all you need is a good lunch and a little bit of time and you're not too terrible to hang around." Jen said delightedly.

"Yea I could say the same for you except your still really annoying but I guess that can't be helped." He grinned.

"Oh your hilarious Jesse." She said irritably.

" But I've got a serious question for you." Jen asked. Jesse bit his bottom lip as he usually did when he was nervous.

"I don't really understand…the whole deal between you and Tanner…why were you so upset with him this morning" Jesse looked at her angrily

"Look I know you're trying to be all nice and friendly and stuff but I don't wanna talk about him or me right now okay!" she looked shocked.

"But…I told you…"

"I don't care what you told me, you're different! You don't seem to have a problem with telling people everything about yourself, I do! I don't want anyone to know about my life…I don't want people to know what I've done…" he stopped, not wanting to explain things any further. He refused to look at her. The ride had ended and Jesse quickly got off.

"Jesse I…"she tried to apologize but he wouldn't stop to listen.

Jesse walked hastily back in the direction of where Cali and Sophie were. Jen chased after him and finally caught up.

"Jesse listen…"

"No you listen, I'm tired of you always trying to get close to me. I don't want or need a friend. So for the last time leave me alone!" Jen felt tears beginning to burn in the corners of her eyes. He was shutting her out. She couldn't bring herself to believe that he was right about not needing anyone. He couldn't be, she didn't want him to be.

"I'm sorry…" she whispered as she watched him walk further and further away from her.


	7. Chapter 6: Just the Girl?

Jesse pushed his way threw the crowds of people, neither knowing nor caring where he was going. He shook his hair into his eyes at the sudden realization that he was crying again. "How stupid" he thought. His brother never cried, Tanner was the strong one, and here was Jesse in tears. He continually rubbed his eyes to try to stop himself from crying but all the while wasn't looking where he was going. He slammed into a tall dark haired person who had stepped in his way.

"Watch it kid!" the person said agitatedly. Jesse slowly looked up at the stranger and his friends. His face went blank.

"T-Tanner…." He stuttered.

"…w-what are you doing here?" Tanner looked at him threateningly.

"What do you mean what am I doing here? Why are you here?" Tanner said furiously.

"I…I…um…what do you care anyways you're the one who stranded me earlier!" Jesse shouted.

"Whoa…Tan man your bro's got a big attitude for such a little guy." Said a cocky looking red head who stood next to Tanner. The four other boys laughed at Jesse's hurt expression. Jesse could smell the alcohol on their breath. He eyed Tanner suspiciously

"Are you drunk?" Jesse spat.

"No! I'm driver." Tanner replied angrily.

"You shouldn't be driving with them at all!" Jesse shouted.

"_You are the last person to tell me that"_ Tanner said ferociously. Jesse was silent.

"You still didn't answer my question Jess! Why are you here and who are you with?" Tanner pried.

"Cali, her cousin and her roommate, we just were gunna hang out and then she was gunna take me home." There as nothing Jesse hated more then having to answer to his brother like this.

"Do you know what time it is? You know you're not supposed to be out after curfew." Tanner said authoritatively.

"I know that Tanner! We weren't gunna be here much longer!" Jesse replied.

"Much longer? The boardwalk is a half an hour away from home Jess! Did you think that if you're out with friends that curfew can wait? Is that it?" he yelled

"No, just shut up Tanner!" Jesse shouted.

"I'm sure you remember what happened last time you were out past curfew!" Jesse was so angry that he couldn't bring himself to respond to his brother.

"That's what I thought now get in the car, I'm taking you home right now." Tanner said taking his keys out of his pocket.

"What about Cali? She won't know where I…"

"I'll call her, now lets go!" Tanner grabbed Jesse by the back of his hoodie and started walking towards the car.

"Hey Tanner where are ya goin' bro? It's way early to be crashin' back at your place!" one of Tanner's drunk friends shouted after him.

"I'll be back in an hour. Don't start the fun without me" He said as he and Jesse headed over to his car.

Jen walked solemnly by herself back in the direction of where Cali and Sophie were. Just when she finally began to feel like she was getting through to Jesse he pushed her away. She hadn't meant to make him so upset, she only wanted to help. Why couldn't he see that? Why was it that every time she tried to understand him he got so defensive and unwilling to talk to her? Maybe he was right, maybe he really didn't want or need anyone. Maybe this entire day he had been telling her that this was who he was and nothing more. Maybe she was searching for something, or someone who just didn't exist in him anymore. "Just forget about him" she thought to herself as Cali and Sophie came into view. They both ran frantically towards her calling out her name wildly.

"Jen! Where were you? We've been looking for you for the past hour and a half!" Cali said breathlessly.

"Um…I was…we were….me and Jesse just went for a walk to the Ferris wheel…we were just on our way back." Jen said quietly.

"Well did Jesse tell you he was supposed to be back home an hour ago! We've been running around like crazy people looking for you guys! We have to get him home Tanner's gunna kill me for letting him stay out this late! He's really serious about Jesse's curfew" she continued.

" Sorry I didn't know, he wouldn't have told me about it anyways…" Jen said sadly.

"Wait Where's Jesse?" Cali finally asked.

"I…he left…"

"What do you mean he left! With who?" Cali said worriedly.

"I didn't see…he just left…"

"Well you had to have seen where he…" Cali's cell phone started ringing loudly interrupting her conversation. She reached into her purse, and flipped open her phone.

"Hello?" She answered.

"Hey its me."

"Oh hey Tanner wassup?" she said anxiously.

"I'm just calling to tell you I've got Jess, I found him walking around the boardwalk by himself. He said he was with you?"

"Yea he was with us, he and my cousin decided to take a little unannounced walk. So me and Soph have been looking for them the past hour or so. I'm really sorry Tan I would have had him back on time if he and Jen had stayed with me and Sophie the whole time or at least told us where they were going." She answered feeling relieved now that she knew where Jesse was.

"Hey don't worry about Cal. Its cool." Tanner replied calmly.

"Okay then see ya!" Cali said contently.

"Wait um the other reason I called was….a…I was wondering if later on you'd wanna hang out with me … and my other friends of course! We're all goin' to this concert at the pavilion, so I was hoping you'd come along…" he said nervously.

"…I'd love to… actually we were just leaving" Cali said excitedly.

"Ok How bout' I meet you at your house when you get home? Sound good?" he asked.

"Yea that's great! See ya then!"

"Yea definitely, See ya later." They both hung up.

Sophie looked slyly over at Cali who had that "my crush just asked me out look" on her face.

"Hmm why does this seem so familiar?" she joked.

"Déjà vu Soph, Déjà vu." Cali said as they walked back towards the parking lot.

Jesse sat listing to music during most of the ride home. Just as he switched to his favorite song "Meant to live" by Switchfoot his Ipod cut off. Tanner pulled out the charger from the socket near the floor of his car.

"Tanner, what the hell?" Jesse said angrily.

"We need to talk." Tanner said.

"I don't feel like talking." Jesse folded his arms and looked out the window trying to ignore his brother.

"I really don't care Jess, listen you know mom and dad are worried about you…" Tanner began.

"This isn't about curfew is it? Cuz I already told you why I wasn't home." Jesse said defensively.

"No, this is about you. Mom called and said that she's worried about you, she said that you haven't been taking your meds and you and I both know that you should to be. They're there for a reason Jess, you can't just forget about your meds and hope that your depression just goes away. It's not gunna be that easy…" Jesse turned around and faced Tanner.

"Do you really believe that I think this whole depression thing is easy? That if I wished hard enough it would just go away! I wish it was that easy Tanner!" his brother was silent.

"Do you have any idea how hard this is for me? Do you have any idea what it's like having to wake up every morning with meds shoved in your face? Having everyone look at you like your some kind of psycho! Having everything you do and everything you see end up being a constant reminder of what you've done? Do you know what its like to not to be able to forget this whole thing…?" Tanner stared directly at Jesse.

"….I do….Jess, we all do. Mom, Dad, we all can't forget. You're not the only one in this family who's having a hard time dealing with all of this." Tanner pulled into their driveway. Jesse unbuckled his seatbelt and was about to leave when Tanner stopped him.

"Jess, the most important thing is that you know that we're all trying to help you get through this, just don't push away the people who matter the most okay?" Jesse looked at Tanner bizarrely.

"Um…thanks Dr. Phil…" he said and started walking in the house. Tanner shouted after Jesse.

"Hey um…me, Cali and Sophie are goin out tonight so I'm not gunna be home till late. Oh and speaking of me and Cali what do you think of her cousin? She's cute right?"  
Tanner winked at Jesse who simply glared back at him.

"…I don't know…she's annoying…." he lied.

"C'mon she's a hottie! I'd go for her." Tanner smirked.

"HA! Way outa your league Tanner."

"Yea but not outa yours!" Tanner said as he backed out and then drove in the direction of Cali's house.


	8. Chapter 7: How to say I'm sorry

Jesse walked inside and threw his house keys on a near by table. He went over to the kitchen and looked around for something to eat. He opened the fridge and found left over pizza from the night before. He carelessly tossed his so called dinner in the microwave and then walked lazily over to the phone to check for any messages. "You have one new message" said a computerized voice. "Hey guys its Dad. Just checking in to see how things are. Tanner, take care of your brother and don't let him get into any trouble. It would be nice if you helped him unpack but that's pushing it. Jess, call me to let me know how you're doing! I hope you didn't mind Tanner picking you up. Your mother and I thought it was a good idea that you guys spend the first part of day with each other. Well, I've got conferences all day tomorrow so just leave a message with the hotel and I'll get back to you as soon as I get back! I'll see you soon." Jesse erased the message then sat down at the counter to eat.

It wasn't very long before he started thinking about what Tanner had said to him on the ride home. "just make sure you don't push away the people who matter the most" Jesse buried his face in his hands, not wanting to think or worry about anything. He sighed and narrowed down his to do list to stop caring, eat dinner, and go to bed. Regardless of how hard he tried to forget, he knew Tanner had been right, not only about himself but also about Jen. Jesse thought over his conversation with her at the boardwalk, and couldn't seem to come up with an explanation for Jen's behavior towards him. Did she really want to be there for him or was she after something else? Was she just trying to be nice or did she really care about him? In his mind, it all came down to trust. Could he trust her? He stumbled on the thought. There didn't seem to be anything fake or superficial about her, and she had told him about her problems back home. She certainly wasn't afraid to speak her mind and she was brave enough to risk telling him about herself. Maybe this was her way of showing that she trusted him, and all he had done was box her out for the second time that day. Jesse felt as though the words he'd said to her had managed to manifest themselves in the pit of his stomach and the after taste of guilt was nauseating. He cursed to himself as he headed upstairs to his room. He walked in then collapsed on his bed, the weight of the day so great that even closing his eyes was laborious. He eventually rolled over on his side and looked out the window and saw Cali's house not to far off in the distance. Most of the lights were off in the house except for the room nearest to his. A strange and sudden feeling overtook him and he abruptly sat upright and stared out the window. "She's home…" he whispered, while realizing that both Cali or Sophie were out with Tanner. The unusual circumstance created in his mind the perfect opportunity to apologize to Jen without any teasing from his brother and company. He sighed heavily and ran his fingers through his hair.

"I'm crazy…" he said to himself, then got up and left his room.

He marched down the stairs grabbed the house keys and walked out. Five minutes later he walked back inside, threw the house keys back on the table and paced nervously back and forth in the foyer.

"I can't do this…a) she's probably still really upset and won't talk to me. Or b) she'll think I'm really weird for going to her house…at night…by myself…just to talk to her… Or c) she'll think I'm some kind of psycho stalker and call the cops. Great! There's no way I'm gunna get out of this without looking like a total weirdo. So here goes. " He picked up the keys again and walked outside towards Cali's house.

While standing in front of the house he felt his body freeze up just before walking up the steps. He glared at his hands and yelled at them for ceasing to work at the time he needed them most then after a minute of hesitation knocked on the door. Silence. He knocked once again. Still no answer.

"Okay…maybe she's got her stereo on or something…whatever I'm not leaving until I talk to her…" he thought loudly, then walked over to the side of the house where her room was. He looked up, her light was on, but he didn't hear any music.

"I don't care where she is….I'm doing this…" he reassured himself.

Jesse looked around for some way to climb up to the window of her room, then discovered a nearby ivy covered trellis and slowly began to climb up it. On any other day he would have appreciated Cali's mansion sized house but seeing that he now had to climb up the side of it, despised each floor. When closest to the top he looked down and briefly lost his hormone driven determination. Yet, after a few minutes, reached the window of Jen's room. He peered his head over the windowsill into her room and found it to be empty. This didn't make sense. He knew she had to be home but he couldn't seem to find her anywhere. His stubbornness pushed him to decide to stay where he was until she came in. Jesse waited and waited and still there was no sign of Jen. Suddenly the door of her room opened. Jen walked in wearing nothing but a towel and hummed a familiar tune to herself as she looked for something to put on. The initial shock Jesse experienced shook him but he stood his ground, guilty but mostly curious as to what he might see. Jen walked over to her dresser and picked out one of her many James Perse tank tops to put on then picked up a bottle of her favorite perfume and sprayed near the nape of her neck. She then got up and walked over to her bed where she sat down and faced the window then began taking off her towel.

"Oh Gd!" Jesse said far too loudly, almost sure that Jen had seen him staring at her through the window.

He ducked down as low as he could and barely made a sound. Jen stopped what she was doing when she heard the leaves outside her window violently rustle. She quickly pulled her towel back around herself and leaned over to see who or what it was. "Oh Shit!" Jesse shouted, and was so shocked that she had discovered him, lost his footing. By the time Jen looked down Jesse was out of sight. She heard a boyish scream and shortly after a loud thud. She frantically looked out the window of her room and saw Jesse lying flat on the lawn.

"Jess?" she said fearfully. He groaned.

"Holy shit!Are you ok! I'll be right there! Don't move!" Jen threw on a shirt and sweatpants and hurriedly ran down stairs and out the side door to where Jesse was. He was sprawled out awkwardly on ground and groaning. Jen ran over and kneeled down next to him then helped him sit up.

"Jesse what in Gd's name were you doing?" she asked wide eyed. Jesse looked at Jen in a daze.

"I was…um…coming to...apologize….you didn't really answer your door so I climbed up there…"he said pointing randomly at the sky.

"Sweetheart did you hit your head because I swear I just heard you say that you came here to apologize to me?" Jen replied then brushed some of the hair off his forehead to see if he had seriously injured himself.

"Well you're not bleeding. So I guess you're just delirious." She said helping him stand. She put her arm around his waist and took him inside, and walked him over to the couch. She ran over to the freezer and took out an ice pack for Jesse, then threw it in his general direction.

"Thanks…"he said quietly when she came over and placed it on his head.

"I…just…. wanted to….you know…say sorry for…earlier…I really was kind of a…jerk to you" he said trying to focus on Jen.

"…It's ok Jess…I knew you'd come around even if falling off the side of a house is what it takes." Jen laughed. Jesse tried to but his laugh sounded more like a whimper.

"…where….where were you anyways?" he said bewilderedly.

"In the shower…" she replied.

"Oh I couldn't have guessed that." He said grinning.

"Did you…see anything…?"

"Maybe maybe not…I can't remember I hit my head pretty hard…" He lied. Jen looked at him disbelievingly.

"You honestly can't tell me that you didn't want to see a girl come out of the shower!" Jesse bit his bottom lip and smiled.

"No…well maybe…but hey at least I started out with good intentions…" Jen turned bright red and got up.

"Well let's change the subject, I'm going to get a snack do you want something?" she asked. Jesse shook his head.

"Fine more for me then!" Jen turned on the TV and handed Jesse the remote "Here, find something to watch." She said then started off towards the kitchen. After making herself a plate full of smores, she turned off the kitchen lights and headed back into the living room.

"Jess we should head back over to your house soon. We don't want Tanner to think you ran away or something." She said loudly. Jesse didn't respond. Jen slowly walked over to the couch and there was Jesse curled up ball, sleeping.

"What am I going to o do with you." She sighed, then walked over to the closet and pulled out a blanket to cover Jesse with. She then sat down on the couch next to Jesse and took off his shoes. He moaned softly and rolled over on his side. Jen sat and thought about how she could possibly explain this situation to Cali in the morning. The fact that after one day both she and Jesse ended up being alone in her house together for the night made things a little more that suspicious. If anything, she needed to somehow get Jesse out of the living room and eventually out of the house. The last thing she wanted Cali, Sophie, and Tanner to find him lying there first thing tomorrow. She realized that had no other choice but to wake him.

"Jesse…" she whispered. He didn't move. She tapped him on the shoulder but he turned away "Go away…" he mumbled.

"Get up silly were going upstairs." She said then took his arm and tried to get him to sit up.

"No! Leave me alone. I'm tired" He groaned. She pulled him out of bed but fell backwards on the floor along with him. He rolled onto the floor, face down and tangled in a mess of blankets. Jen helped him get up, and the two of them began walking up to her room. They struggled up the stairs, Jen barely able to hold his weight, and Jesse barely able to keep his eyes open. She opened her door and Jesse collapsed in a pile of laundry on the floor. Jen found one of Cali's old sleeping bags and made a place for Jesse to sleep next to her bed. He crawled into his sleeping bag and almost immediately fell asleep. She then stepped over top of Jesse and after a long night finally lay down in her bed. "Goodnight Jess." She said softly. "….Goodnight mom…" he mumbled. Jen smiled at him then turned off the lights and fell asleep.


	9. Chapter 8: Excuses Over Starbucks

The next morning, Jen woke up to the unmistakable smell of Starbucks coffee coming from down stairs. After a few minutes, she got out of bed, stepped carefully over Jesse and walked downstairs.

"Good mornin' stranger we thought you'd never get up." Cali said cheerfully.

"Hey…." Jen said as she drowsily made her way over to the kitchen table. Cali and Sophie were already wide awake making breakfast. Jen on the other hand, was half asleep, and put her head down on the table hoping she could catch up on a few lost hours. She suddenly noticed someone approach the table,

"Morning, little Cali!" Tanner said as he sat down across from Jen. Her head shot up.

"This…is bad….really bad…!" she thought to herself. The last person she expected and wanted to see this morning was Tanner. Cali sat down next to him and placed a tray of Starbuck's coffees on the table. Jen looked at Tanner both terrified and confused.

"Um…hi Tanner…what are you doing here so early?" she asked.

" I just came by to drop Cali and Sophie off. We were out pretty late so we just crashed at my friend's house for the night. And on the way here this morning we decided to pick up some Starbucks for everyone" he said.

"Wasn't that nice of him Jen?" Cali elbowed her cousin who stared blankly at Tanner.

"Yea, yea thanks…" she replied. Tanner looked around the table for a second then stood up and reached down into his pockets as if he were looking for something.

"Hey Cali, can I use your phone, my cell's dead and I should call Jesse, he probably wants to know where I was last night. He'll wake up if he knows I've got Starbucks for him. Plus Dad called and he wants me to take him to with me to work today, honestly how does the man expect me to lifeguard and watch over that kid at the same time?"

Jen's heart nearly stopped as Cali walked off to get her phone. Tanner couldn't call Jesse, because Jesse…was upstairs, in her room, asleep on the floor, and his cell phone sitting across the hall from the kitchen on the living room table. She had no idea what she could do except grab Jesse's cell phone, run upstairs, throw him back out the window, and hope he ran home. Her eyes darted from Tanner to the stairs as she desperately searched for a good excuse to get up. She blanked. Tanner looked at her.

"So Jen what did you do last n…." he stopped mid sentence.

Jesse who apparently wasn't aware of the situation, came lazily clomping down the stairs. He yawned and stretched his arms up over his head, as he would of any other morning, then stepped into the kitchen and started over towards the table.

"Jen when did you go for coff…" Jesse finally noticed that he and Jen were not the only ones in the room. Jen looked warningly at him as the both realized the amount of trouble they were about to get into.

"Uh-oh" Jesse said under his breath.

The room was silent, but after a long pause Jesse began to try and explain himself.

"I-I guess your wondering why I'm here…" he said quietly. Tanner immediately interrupted him.

" I can't believe you…or you…" he said as he glared at the two of them. "…a) You've only known each other for 24 hours…b) Both of you are too young to be even thinking about having…" Jesse stopped his brother before he was able to continue.

"No no no, that's not it at all! Listen Tanner I can explain what happened…" Tanner folded his arms the way his father would and allowed the accused to speak.

"Last night after you dropped me off, I was thinking about what you said and…I-I realized that I had said some stuff to Jen at the boardwalk that was…well...pretty stupid. So basically I was a jerk and I felt bad about it so I came over here to……. apologize to someone who…was just trying to be a good friend..."

Jesse's voice trailed off, he looked down at the floor, avoiding everyone's shocked expressions. Jen could barely move or breathe she just looked at Jesse, unable to say or do anything but watch in aw as the temperamental teenage boy she met the day before suddenly changed into someone she barely recognized. Tanner looked at Jesse in disbelief, but Cali only smiled. She saw it to, even if Tanner didn't realize or couldn't believe it, the Jesse that they used to know for a brief moment, was standing right in front of them.

"…I guess we should go, I've got to head over to the beach, my shift starts in an hour, c'mon Jess get your stuff…." Tanner said as he picked up his keys and started towards the door. Before he left he stopped and whispered something to Jen.

"You know you must be something really special...I haven't seen him act like that in quite a while. Mad props to you little Cali" he said smiling. Jen laughed.

"Anytime Tan man." She teased. Tanner hugged her. "Wow you've even got my nickname down, sheesh you're smart and pretty, so…a…feel free to hang out with me and Jesse _anytime_." Tanner said as he winked at her. Jesse scowled.

"Let's go Tanner!" he said then grabbed his brother by the arm and tried to get him outside. Tanner effortlessly pushed Jesse away from him.

"Yea so what I was trying to say was that you are _more_ then welcome to come over to our place whenever you want! Just let yourself in, and a if you ever need someone to talk to I'm a very good listener.." Tanner smiled flirtatiously at Jen who could tell she was blushing. Jesse clenched his teeth.

"NOW TANNER!"

"_Alright _I'm coming, I'm coming, chill out squirt." Tanner joked then pulled Jesse into a headlock.

"Well I'll get him outa your way for the time being, he's caused enough trouble for the last 24 hours." Everyone laughed except for Jesse of course who was struggling to break free from Tanner's grasp.

"Whoa there Jess calm down, I'll let you go when you thank Jen and Cali for taking care and putting up with you." Jesse continued to try and wriggle free from under his brother's arm.

"I'll say it when you get off!" he said angrily.

"No can do bro, the more you squirm the less chance you have of being let go." Tanner tightened his grip.

"…Get off!" Jesse shouted.

Tanner grinned and shook his head "Uh ah ah, that's not what you were supposed to say, now lets' here it." Tanner squeezed harder. Jesse gave in.

"…thanks a lot Jen…and Cali…for…putting up with me…" he gasped his face now dark red in color.

Tanner finally let him go. When Jesse regained his composure, he shot Tanner a dirty look and then turned and smiled at Jen.

"Hey, um thanks…I mean it…well I'll catch ya later…I guess…" Jesse said while resting his hand on the back of his neck. Cali couldn't help but intervene.

"Hey well I was just thinking, me and Sophie are going out later to pick out some new….ah…curtains…for the upstairs rooms, and that's gunna be totally boring so Jesse why don't you and Jen figure out something to do, we can drop you two off somewhere on the way." She said grinning. Jen and Jesse looked at each other nervously.

"Um…ok that's fine with me…I guess…" Jen said trying to hide her slight feeling of embarrassment.

"Actually I have something to do later…" Jesse mumbled. Tanner suddenly slapped Jesse across the back of the head.

"No he doesn't…" he retorted.

Jesse glared at him "Yes I do you said you were taking me surfing later!" he replied.

"Um, excuse us a second." Tanner said as he pulled Jesse aside.

"The surfing plan was valid before you met a girl, come on don't be stupid, are you trying to blow this girl off first thing? Geeze…how long _has _it been since you had a girlfriend?" Jesse's jaw dropped.

"Who said anything about her being my girlfriend! I don't even know her! I mean…yea…she's just…she's just not my type… " he said childishly. Tanner rolled his eyes.

"Whatever! If you actually mean that then look me in the eyes and tell me you don't like her." Tanner stared intensely at Jesse hoping to make him as uncomfortable as possible.

"I…I…ah… …" Jesse couldn't manage to answer.

"That's what I thought, but regardless of what's goin on between you two I think you should at least hang out this summer, it's not like you have any other friends." Jesse looked angrily at his brother.

"Okay, I'll make you a deal if you **shut up **then I'll hang out with her later. Ok?" he said irritably. Tanner smiled.

"Good, knew you'd come to your senses, but mind you, I don't want you to hang out with her just cuz I told you to…" Jesse looked seriously at Tanner.

"No…I want to…she's …never mind, just don't worry about it." Jesse blushed.

"Okay, okay I understand." Tanner smiled. "Let's go tell the girls." Tanner said as he walked back towards Cali.

"Yea…" Jesse said timidly.

Tanner reentered the kitchen and began his announcements.

"We, I mean Jesse has decided that he is free this afternoon, there are no more wave riding conflicts so…I'll drop him back off here in an hour. But right now, if you fine ladies will excuse us we've gotta get going! Jess outside." Jen waved to Jesse.

"Okay see ya Jess!" she said excitedly, but before Jesse was able to respond Tanner pulled him out the door.

Both Cali and Jen looked at each other and smiled, each knowing what the other was thinking. Cali walked over to Jen and placed her hand on her shoulder, "Looks like the old Jesse might come back sooner then I thought." Cali said. "Nah…I'm starting to think he's been here the whole time."


	10. Chapter 9: Take it All Away

After a long and eventful morning, both Tanner and Jesse arrived at the parking across from the seaside. Tanner pulled into the space nearest to his life guarding house and got out of the car. Jesse, who still was wearing his pajamas, climbed over into the backseat and grabbed his swim shorts and towel. Tanner was already changed and wearing bright red lifeguard swim trunks and white sleeveless tee shirt. Jesse finally managed to get himself out of the car and Tanner turned and locked the doors behind him. Just as they were heading down to the beach a group of guys around Tanner's age approached them.

"Damn it, not them again." Tanner said nervously under his breath. Jesse looked perplexed.

"What's up? Do you know them or something?" he asked

"These guys are trouble, do not talk to them or even look at them. Forget about whatever they say to you okay?"

"But…"

Before Jesse was able to finish a black haired surfer walked up to Tanner and pushed him.

"Well, well, looks like Tanner's back in town guys. Welcome home buddy so who's the little tag along?" he teased. Tanner stared angrily at back at him.

"Trevor…aren't you supposed to be in…I don't know… summer school?" he snapped. Trevor looked at him menacingly.

"Tanner, my man, there's no need for any hard feelings bro, I was thinkin' that we should….start over this summer, you know hang out…it'll be just like old times. Sound fun?" Trevor put his arm around Tanner who impulsively shoved it away. "Back off Trevor, I'm done with you losers. Let's go Jess." Tanner instructed then stormed off in the direction of the beach.

Trevor reached out and stopped Jesse before he could walk away.

"You're Jess right?" he said smirking.

"Yea do you want something?" Jesse said defensively.

"Nah, it just looks like your brothers' got you on a leash that's all…" Trevor's friends snickered at the disgusted look on Jesse's face.

"…Anyways if you wanna hang out with people other then Tanner we know how to have good time, so whenever you want some real friends, we'll be around." Trevor reached into his pocket and handed Jesse a small business card. "You should check this place out, shit gets pretty crazy over there, so when you get tired of being your brothers pet you should swing by. Catch ya later." The group turned and headed over to a red pick up parked farther down the lot.

Jesse looked down at the card that Trevor had given him. "_Fletcher's Bar" _was written across the top in gold letters, and beneath it was a silhouette of an attractive young girl with a beer bottle pressed up against her lips. Jesse stood in silence for a minute, staring blankly at the piece of paper. His fingers trembled slightly as flash backs of Friday night drinking parties back home raced across his conscience. This strange, longing feeling…was far too familiar…he couldn't shake it, no matter what he did. It stayed in his mind just long enough for him to recognize exactly what it was...This sudden desire to turn back into the high school hardcore party goer he was left an rotten feeling in his stomach. At that moment there was nothing else he wanted more then to crush that small white card beneath his fingers. The sight of it disgusted him, the content only further reminding him of who and what he used to be. He hated everything about it, the flirtatiousness of it, how for only a mere second, it attracted his attention and then left him wishing he had never seen it in the first place. This bittersweet reintroduction to his former passion for intoxication caused him a great deal of pain and discomfort. But, what he hated most, were the words, the way the card flaunted those seemingly "golden" words that brought back memories, which he had tried for so long to forget. From a distance, it almost appeared as if he were looking into a small mirror at his own reflection. Even though he had convinced himself that he had greatly changed as a person, to this mirror he simply appeared as though he were no different then the monster he had been 6 weeks before. Jesse crumpled up the card and squeezed it tightly in his fist, then threw the small piece of paper towards the azure blue waves of the ocean..

"…You can take it all away, I don't need it, Its not me …"( from Ryan Cabrera's Take it all away) Jesse sung softly to himself as he started walking towards Tanner's lifeguard house. He stopped and looked out at the ocean as a soft summer breeze blew by.

"I _can't _be the same…"


	11. Chapter 10: The Tanner Talk

Meanwhile Cali, Jen, and Sophie waited anxiously for Jesse and Tanner to arrive. Cali and Jen were upstairs trying to decide on an outfit for Jen to wear which in her house hold was not an easy task.

"Cali, its not like I'm going to prom! This is just a meaningless little….outing. Chill out will you?" Jen sighed, Cali smirked.

" Outing? Oh please, I think **date **is the word you're looking for." Jen glared at her.

"Umm, is it just me or is everyone in this house trying to set us up?" Jen remarked. Cali happily ignored the question and continued rummaging through yet another pile of clothing.

"Well, anyways, we're barely just friends, like after the way he treated me yesterday at the boardwalk, I could have cared less about him… I mean I know was nosey, but I was only trying to help…" Cali stopped what she was doing and looked up at Jen.

"What do you mean you were nosey?" she asked seriously.

"Well I…I just asked him why he was so upset with Tanner, I don't really understand what this whole accident deal is about…he still won't tell me what happened…" Cali looked directly at her.

"Don't…..don't ask him about it again…." Jen was frightened by the coldness in Cali's voice.

"B-But…I-I only wanna know so I can help him…"she replied.

"I know, but try not to get yourself too involved in his background, he's not much of an upfront kinda person…"Cali said knowingly.

"Yea…but I told him…I told him about what happened to me back home…"

"Well, then that means you might be more ready to talk about things like that openly…he's a different person than you are Jen, you have to realize that." Cali said authoritatively.

" Yea but most people I know aren't afraid to talk about themselves openly."

" …He isn't like most people…most people haven't…" Cali bit her tongue.

"Haven't what?" Jen asked. "Nothing…that's the doorbell, so hurry up and get dressed ok?" Cali walked out of Jen's room and started down the stairs. Jen chased after her

"Haven't what Cali?" she shouted. Cali turned around and sighed.

"He'll tell you when he's ready…now little Mrs. Nosey if you haven't already noticed your in your bra and underwear and there are two very horny teenage boys outside the door so get dressed!" Jen's face turned a florescent red and with that, she ran back in her room closed the door.

"Hi honey we're home!" Tanner shouted loudly from downstairs. Jesse walked in sluggishly from behind him, his hands shoved deeply in his pockets and a piece of licorice hanging from his mouth.

He began pacing nervously back and forth through the living room the walked off and sat by himself in the kitchen. Cali and Tanner looked over at Jesse and then back at each other.

"Tanner what did you do him this time?" she whispered suspiciously.

"What do you mean what did I do?" Tanner replied.

"Look at him, his pacing Tanner! Pacing! Since when does Jesse pace…!" she shouted. "I…" he stuttered. " You didn't give him the Tanner talk did you?" she inquired. Tanner looked away from her.

"Hey, c'mon Cali he's going out tonight, and not with just anybody, with your younger cousin, and right now I really don't trust him…with her I mean…" Cali laughed.

"…Tanner please…he's 16, he's got you for a brother, and he hasn't been with a girl for a while so…I think…they'll be fine…"she said assuredly.

"No you don't know him like I do, this kid gets a little carried away when he's around a girl he's into…" Cali looked perplexed.

"….as in…?"

He glared at her. "…as in he's been grounded numerous times for being INTO a girl! Get it?" Cali's face turned bright red.

"Oh my…um well a….THIS IS A GREAT TIME FOR YOU TO TELL ME THIS!" she said furiously.

"I already told you about his…girl related urges!" he grumbled.

"What do you mean….urges…" Cali said through clenched teeth.

"Umm, you know this story…I left for California… my x girlfriend…our house…I'm gone…he's home…she's pretty… he's a guy…they…well let's just say he's got experience…of the worst kind…" Tanner's voice trailed off.

"Oh…dear….not got…but look at the bright side, he acts differently around Jen and I think he knows his boundaries…plus she'll kill him if he doesn't! And who are you to talk? I remember a certain someone who was quite the flirt at his age…" Cali grinned. "Hey now, no need for any personal attacks here Cali…so I was a little girl crazy at 16…he's different, he's buck wild…" he said. She glared at him.

"Um…trust me Tanner, they'll be fine. Jesse's not in Miami anymore..." She said.

"Yea well, if he's my brother he's probably gunna be a lot like I was, wild and crazy until he meets the right girl." He said smiling. Cali placed her hands on her hips and smiled.

"Tanner you know how to sweep a girl off her feet...and I'm sure Jess does too." She said as they both walked back into the living room.

Cali walked over to Jesse who was chewing on a piece of licorice as if it were a stick of gum.

"Hey kid, you ok?" she placed her hand on his shoulder. He shuddered

"Um, uh huh, yea, yes, I'm good, great, awesome." Cali laughed.

"You'll be alright , she's a lot of fun, you two will make out just fine." Jesse's face went blank.

"What!" his voice cracked. Cali giggled at his shocked expression.

"What I meant by that was, you two should get along just fine, I bet you'll be great friends by the end of the summer. Relax you're acting like you've never been on a date before." Jesse looked away from her.

"Yea…well I've been with girls before but like never really dated or anything serious…and…I probably shouldn't have told you that…" he said blushing. Cali smiled and then looked down at her watch.

"Don't worry I know you'll be fine, that is if she ever gets down here…I thought I told her to hurry…" Cali stopped mid sentence as Jen came running down the stairs.

"I'm so sorry I'm late guys I just couldn't remember where I put my wallet." she said apologetically.

"Who cares when you look that gorgeous!" Cali said cheerfully.

"I'll say" Tanner replied. Jesse's throat went dry; his words had failed him right when he needed them most. He stood there at the bottom of the stairs, admiring her as if she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever laid eyes on. He felt a slight tingling sensation in his cheeks when she turned and smiled at him.

"Hey! Ready to go?" she asked contentedly. "…ah…y-yea…definitely…" he said quietly. "Okay then kids outside." Cali said as she started out the door.

"Oh hey Jess I'll be at home if you need anything." Tanner called after him.

"Yea ok I get it…" Jesse rolled his eyes. Tanner came over and held Jesse back while everyone else went out the door.

"Oh, one more thing, Keep your hands to yourself comprende?" he said seriously. Jesse scowled.

"Do you understand the meaning of just friends! I'm not gunna do anything! Okay mother?" he yelled. Tanner shrugged.

"Okay….but if you do do anything I'll know…"

"What are you a stalker? Tanner Jen and me equals friends nothing else ok? Can I go now?" Jesse said impatiently. Tanner sighed.

"Go, go on she's waiting." Jesse excitedly spun around and ran out the door.


	12. Chapter 11: Sandy's Juice Bar

The three girls and Jesse all piled into Cali's car headed out. "We'll have him back by 10:00 this time!" Cali shouted to Tanner as she pulled out of the driveway.

"C'mon Cali 10:30" Jesse whispered from the back seat.

"No, Jesse" he gave her the puppy face.

"Please?" Cali lowered her sunglasses and looked right at him.

"Look at me Jess…no 10 it is." Jesse frowned

"You're no fun." Cali ignored his complaining and continued down the street.

"I'll make you a deal, if you and Jen behave and are ready to leave at 10:00 I think I can manage a little frappichino run right now." Jesse's head shot up.

"Starbucks what? That's a deal!" Jen laughed.

"Yea I think I can handle that, its pretty hot out anyways." Jesse turned and looked at her.

"Can I help you?" Jen looked at him strangely.

"No I was just gunna say that you looked hot." Jen looked confused.

"Excuse me?" Jesse shook his head.

" I mean um you looked hot as in…ah…as in Cali should turn on the AC hot…" Jesse buried his face in his hands, Jen laughed.

"You're a strange boy Jesse…but just so ya know…your not looking half bad yourself."

After finishing 4 well deserved frappachinos Cali and Sophie dropped both Jen and Jesse off at the arcade further in town.

"An arcade?" Jesse said disappointedly.

"Hey it's this or curtain shopping." Jesse shrugged.

"You've got a point." Cali reached into her purse and handed twenty dollars to each of them.

"Don't spend it all in one place…We'll be back here at 10:00 and you guys will too right?" Cali eyed them suspiciously.

"Yes mam'!" Jesse said sarcastically.

"No problem, I'll get him back here on time." Jen smirked.

"Hey, I can handle myself just fine." Jen and Cali giggled. Jesse looked at them confused.

"What?" the two girls stared at him for a second and then laughed louder then they had before. Jesse grew increasingly uncomfortable.

"Did I do something?" Jen managed to stop herself from laughing for a brief moment.

"No nothing at all…it was just…something you said…" Jesse started blushing.

"Whatever, I'm goin to play some games." Jesse turned around and headed towards the arcade entrance.

"Jen why did you have to go and laugh at him like that, you made him feel bad." Jen looked at Cali .

"I made him feel bad! You were laughing at him too!" Jen retorted. Cali sighed.

"Whatever! Hurry up and apologize he's leaving." Jen waved to Cali and then turned ran into the arcade after Jesse.

After working her way through the crowds of arcade obsessed 13 year old boys, Jen finally found Jesse playing some sort of shooting game. Jen looked at the game and was a bit frightened by the images of numerous dead people popping up on the screen whenever they felt the need to do so. She walked up beside him in a cowardly fashion and attempted to get his attention.

"Um hey Jesse…whatcha' playin'?" Jesse's eyes remained focused on screen.

"Resident Evil" he said mechanically. Jen looked at him; he was like any other 16-year-old boy when playing a video game or watching sports, completely tuned out to the rest of the world and not very talkative. Jen would have liked to walk over to the nearest Mrs.Pac-man game or DDR console but judging by the looks of things she was just going to have to play along.

"Can I do this too?" she asked.

"Uh huh…" Jesse nodded. "How do I join or whatever do I just press start or something?" She looked directly at Jesse hoping to get his attention, he didn't respond.

"Okay then, I'll just press…", "Shoot the screen, hit the dead guys, don't die." Jen smiled at his slight dorkyness, he really didn't seem to be all that irregular after all.

She recalled spending the last few days with him, and only then just began to realize how much he'd changed, how much more content he was then when she first met him. She wasn't sure how or why he had gone from being miserable to remotely tolerable in such a short time, but she did know that regardless of who or what had caused the change, that there was nothing she enjoyed more then seeing him happy.

After a few moments of hesitation, Jen picked up the plastic gun next to his and pointed it at the screen. She never had been major fan of zombie hunting and as she continued playing found most of the images so repulsive that by the end of the game, Jesse was shooting monsters on both his and Jen's side of the screen while she held her eyes closed and pointed her gun in every which direction. After 10 minutes of chaos, the game finally ended. Jesse looked at Jen and shook his head.

"Zombie hunting clearly isn't your thing." Jen looked at him petulantly.

"You know what? Its not my fault I get nightmares from seeing games like these!" Jesse smirked.

"You're not really scared of that kinda stuff are ya?" he said sarcastically. Jen was silent.

"Are you serious?" Jesse looked at her in disbelief.

"….well it was scary enough for me not to wanna play it again…" she said quietly. Jesse laughed softly to himself.

"What!" she said irritably. He grinned.

"…its cute…" Jen looked at him crossly.

"What are talking about?" Jesse bit his bottom lip and smiled.

"…how you're afraid of little things like that…" Jen blushed a little but then quickly reminded herself that she was still angry at Jesse. She put her hands on her hips and glared at him.

"…well then Mr. High and Mighty what freaks you out?" Jesse looked away,

"…stuff…"he bit his nails nervously.

"Stuff? C'mon you can do better then that" she teased.

"I know" Jesse answered smugly.

"Well?" she pried.

"Well…do you wanna go get a smoothie or somethin?" Jesse dug through his pockets and pulled out a wrinkled 20$ bill. "My treat." Jen looked at him disappointedly.

"Hold up Jess, that's not fair! This is the second time you've done this to me!" Jesse scratched his head."Second time I've done what?" Jen rolled her eyes.

"You always manage to turn conversations around so that you never have to answer any personal questions and I always end up telling you everything about me." Jesse smiled slyly.

"Well maybe I like hearing stuff about you." Jen laughed.

"Riigghtt!"

"No, I'm completely serious, you're a pretty interesting girl…"

"Nice try Jess, but you're still not off the hook." Jen glared at Jesse but when she considered the fact that he might be telling the truth, she couldn't help but smile.

"So…a…how about those smoothies?" Jesse motioned over to a nearby smoothie bar.

"Sounds good." The two left the arcade and walked outside to the ocean side food court. Jesse sat down in front of " Sandy's Juice Bar" and ordered two strawberry kiwi smoothies.

"Kiwi?" Jen said looking puzzled.

"Yea you know, those little fuzzy round fruit things…don't tell me you've never had a kiwi?"

Jen looked ashamed. "…sorry can't say that I have…" Jesse's jaw dropped

"Are you kidding me? There the greatest thing since Starbucks! I promise you'll like them'" Jesse said assuredly. About 15 minutes later, the bar tender handed them two smoothies.

"Here you are that'll be $3.50" Jesse shoved a twenty dollar bill in the man's direction.

"Took you long enough…" he said snidely under his breath. Jen elbowed him.

"What he means sir, is thank you!" The man shot Jesse a dirty look, and then handed Jen the change.

"Thank you mam' at least there are some people around with manners these days" the man then turned and walked towards the back of the shop. Jesse looked at Jen in disbelief.

"What was his problem? Its not my fault he's slow." Jen shook her head.

"Jesse! Five minutes isn't that long of a wait! You're ridiculous.." Jesse rolled his eyes.

"Whatever…I still think he sucks…" Jen crossed her arms and stared at him

"Why are you always picking fights with the world?" she said. he glared at her,

"What are you talking about?" he said defensively.

"See! There you go again! You're always so defensive…you just need to….I don't know…relax…take things a little less seriously…hakuna matata…." Jesse laughed.

"Oh, so now I'm supposed to live my life like a Disney movie…sure thing Minnie Mouse!" Jen scowled at him.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you…" Jesse smirked.

"Do what Minnie?" he snickered. Jen sighed, and picked up her drink.

"Can't say I didn't warn ya." She then took a long sip of her smoothie, lifted up her straw, and pointed it directly at Jesse's face. "Hakuna matata this!" she said deviously and then without hesitation blew as hard as she could into her straw spraying her smoothie all over Jesse's hair and face. He sat upright in his chair, in complete shock. He shut his eyes tightly hoping to avoid getting bits of frozen smoothie into them. Jen laughed uncontrollably at the look of shock and disgust on Jesse's face. While she was doing so, Jesse took off the top of his drink and poured nearly half of it into his mouth. By the time Jen noticed what he was doing it was too late.

"Jesse n-!" Jesse spat cold pink smoothie all over the place. Jen screamed as chunks of strawberry-kiwi flavored ice landed on her face and in her hair. Jesse was laughing so hard he nearly fell off his chair. Jen considered pouring the rest of her smoothie on Jesse's head but was laughing so vigorously that she couldn't manage to bring herself to do it. While the two sat in front of the bar enjoying themselves, a short, balding, middle aged man wearing a brightly colored smock and glasses approached them.

"Excuse me…" They both ignored him and continued laughing. The man cleared his throat and then tapped Jesse on his shoulder.

"Excuse me sir…" Jesse glared at him.

"Can I help you!" he said rudely.

The man was taken aback by Jesse's impoliteness.

"I'm the manager here and I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave, we've had some complaints about you disturbing the other customers." He said authoritatively.

Jesse glared at him. Jen quickly noticed how Jesse was ready and waiting to get into an argument and decided to intervene and end the conversation before things got out of hand.

"We're very sorry sir, we'll just clean up our mess and get go…." Jesse interrupted her.

"What do you mean other customers? Nobody else is here except for that loser of an employee you've got lurking around in back! Was he the guy who complained!" Jesse said heatedly. Jen took hold of his hand and pulled him away from the manager.

"Once again sir, please forgive us, we'll be on our way." Jen apologized to the man and then walked Jesse as far away from the smoothie bar as possible. Just before they were out of ear shot Jesse turned back around to face the smoothie bar.

"Your smoothies make a better face wash then they do drink!" Jen slapped him across the back of his head.

"Ow! What was that for?" he asked.

"What do ya think? Good behavior? Jesse, he could have called security or something." Jesse laughed.

"He's the one who should be arrested for serving crap." Jen shook her head.

"I don't even know how to respond to that, what am I gunna do with you?" Jesse smiled slyly.

"I can think of a few things…" Jen glared at him.

"Whoa there cowboy, Jesse James here is getting a little daring…" she said sarcastically. Jesse made a Clint Eastwood type of face and stuck his thumbs threw his belt loops

"Well then lil' lady I'd love to continue this conversation but I'm awfully sticky and I smell like a kiwi so if you don't mind I'd like ta stop over therr at the water hole and freshen up…" he said in a mock southern accent. Jen laughed at Jesse's awkward sense of humor "Alrighty partner will do, will do." The two walked over to a near by vending machine, Jen stopped and bought two Dasani's. She opened her bottle, poured some water into her hands and then splashed some on her face. Jesse looked at her strangely.

"…Excuse me mam' looks like you've still got some of that strawberry stuff on you're face…", "Really? Where?" she said self consciously.

"Right about there, hold still and I'll get it off for ya, give me your water bottle." Jen handed it to Jesse. He grinned.

"Gotcha" Jesse took the bottle poured it over top of her head. "Jesse..." she whined. After a few minutes of Jesse laughing at Jen's girly complaints about her hair, Jen shot him a mischievous look.

"…Jesse your hair looks a little sticky too let me help you with that..." Jen on impulse snatched his full bottle away from him and poured it over his head. "

Oh missy you've done it now…" Jesse chased after Jen spilling his half-full water bottle everywhere as he ran, leaving " Sandy's Juice Bar" and all its problems in the dust.


	13. Chapter 12: Nightengale

Jen and Jesse ran around the food court after each other, both trying get the other as wet as possible. The minute Jen looked over her shoulder to see how close Jesse was to catching her she unexpectedly ran into someone standing directly in front of her. He was tall and dark haired. He wore pair of black red and white Hawaiian flowered Billabong swim Trunks and a white Quicksilver sleeveless tee-shirt. The boy turned around and looked at Jen.

"Watch where you're….hey there hott stuff…what's you're name?" Jen backed away from him and looked behind her only to see Jesse trying to catch up to her. When Jesse finally reached Jen, he was surprised by the four other guys who stood around her. He looked at the blacked hair boy strangely, he knew this guy from somewhere his face, his voice, and his attitude were all familiar. Jen looked at the black haired boy, he certainly was gorgeous, but something about him frightened her.

"Hey you should be more careful, you wouldn't wanna fall and hurt that pretty face of yours…" he brushed his finger along the side of her cheek. Jen winced, this didn't feel right, she didn't like the way he touched her. She stood there silently as the black haired surfer and his friends surrounded her.

"Yea …so… a… how old are you anyway?" Jen stared down at her feet, she didn't want to look at them.

"…sixteen…" she mumbled. The group of boys eyed each other and then looked her up and down.

"You should come out with us tonight we're headin' over to this club two blocks down…its 18 and over but we can get you in easy…wanna go?" he said slyly.

The tone of his voice made Jen very uneasy, the whole situation was uncomfortable, she needed to find a way out of it and fast.

"…Um actually I'm here with…a…"

"Me…" Jesse came up next to her and took her hand in his.

"And what are you her boyfriend or something?" said a tall brown haired boy standing nearest to Jesse.

"Ah…" he hesitated.

Jen glared at him knowing very well that if he didn't answer yes she was fair game to any of the older guys. Jesse's voice trailed off. The black haired by snickered at him.

"Well then she's coming with us…" He put his hand around Jen's waist.

"C'mon you'll have a better time with me anyways…" Jesse grew increasingly frustrated, there was no way he was about to let this jerk walk away with Jen like she was some item. Jesse reached out and grabbed the guy's shoulder.

"…I thought I told you that she was here with me…" Jesse said furiously, his dark green eyes grew cloudy as they always did when he was angry. The boy turned around and stared at Jesse.

"….wait a minute….you're that kid…you're…hey guys this is Tanner's little brother...Jesse…" All four of the older boys laughed.

"Got a problem with that Trevor?" Jesse spat. Jen stepped in between Jesse and Trevor.

"Listen guys since we all know each other why don't we all go, Jesse we have an hour to kill anyways." Jesse and Trevor stepped back away from each other.

"…Fine let's go guys…Jen you can walk with me." Trevor once again put his arm around her waist and started towards the club. Jesse walked on the other side of Jen, continually looking at her hoping she would give him some clue as to what her plan was, but she only returned a worrisome look as Trevor pulled her closer to him.

They arrived at club Nightingale and Trevor and Jen were the first to walk in.

The club was hot and steamy, loud music played from the numerous speakers set up around the room. Trevor's friends all headed towards the bar, but Trevor took Jen by the hand and led her into the center of the dance floor. Just before Jen was out of sight she reached out for Jesse's hand, hoping that he would pull her away from Trevor but by the time Jesse tried to grab her she was lost in a crowd of hundreds of people dancing close to each other. Jesse pushed his way through hoards of people dancing wildly to the fast-paced rhythms that the DJ played.

Meanwhile, Trevor pulled Jen to the center of the dance floor. She was nervous but understood that she had no choice but to dance with him. Trevor moved his hands around her waist and started dancing behind her. Jen danced unwillingly in front of him, trying desperately to hold his hands at her hips and not let them wander further then she wanted them to, but Trevor was too strong. He breathed lightly on her neck hoping to seduce her into letting his hands go where they wanted but Jen still resisted. Trevor grew impatient, undid the first button of her skirt and slowly moved his hands downwards. Jen panicked and dug her nails into his wrists as hard as she could, but Trevor only laughed and kissed her neck. Jen screamed out Jesse's name, but her cries were only silenced by the loudness of the music. Jen knew that in a matter of seconds Trevor would get what he was after, he had her exactly were he wanted her and there was nothing he could do about it. Tears streamed down her face as she realized how helpless she was, she felt as though she were back in the room with Bryan except this time, there was nothing she could do to stop him…

Suddenly someone out of nowhere grabbed her arm and pulled her away from Trevor. She quickly turned around, only to see Jesse punch Trevor so hard he knocked him to the ground. Everyone around them backed off to form a circle around the scene. Trevor lay helplessly on the ground, his nose bleeding uncontrollably. Trevor's three other friends pushed through the crowd and immediately helped Trevor to his feet. Jesse slowly stepped backwards away from the four infuriated boys, holding one arm in front of Jen, as if he were protecting her. He turned his head to the side and whispered.

"…when I say so, run towards the door…" Jen nodded and remained behind Jesse.

"You're dead!" Trevor shouted while trying to stop the blood flowing from his nose.

"…ah Jen?" Jesse whispered.

"Yea?", "Remember when I told you to run..." Jen nodded.

"Well now's a good time! Go!" Jen and Jesse turned and ran as fast as they could out the club doors, with Trevor and his friends following close behind. They ran through the food court, Jen's hand in Jesse's, both of them running further and further away from the chaotic scene at the club. Jesse let go of Jen's hand and ran up ahead of her. He then made a sharp turn around a corner and disappeared out of sight. Jen had no idea where he had gone but continued running his general direction. Suddenly someone grabbed her and pulled her into small alleyway in-between two restaurants in the food court. She found herself standing face to face with Jesse who was staring down at her. Jen looked up into his dark green eyes and realized how close her face was to his. His eyes, his lips, his hair, all glowed dimly in the darkness. She could feel the warmth from his breathing on her face, physical attraction getting the best of her. He gazed back at her and then moved towards her, slowly closing the space between them. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her up against him. She closed her eyes and leaned in towards him. He hugged her. Jen looked down at the sparkling concrete beneath her, feeling a bit surprised at her disappointment that the situation hadn't ended up in a kiss but regardless, tonight he really had come through for her when she needed him. She stood there safe in his arms, not wanting to leave his comforting embrace. She looked up at him.

"….thanks Jess…I don't know what he would have done if you weren't there…" Jesse smiled warmly at her.

"…don't worry about it….I told you, as long as I'm around I won't let anyone treat you like that…" Jen smiled.

"…really…?" she looked at him skeptically.

"Really, really" Jesse bit his bottom lip and smiled. The two looked around the corner of the building they were leaning up against, to see if Trevor and his friends were still looking for them. Seeing no one, they started walking back.

"Oh yea I forgot to tell you there's one condition…" Jen looked up at him curiously.

"Yea…what is it?" she asked.

"Just promise me something…" he said seriously.

"Yea anything…" Jesse smiled.

"Promise me you'll never let me choose a smoothie place again." He laughed. Jen hit Jesse's arm playfully.

"Hey I thought you were being serious!" Jesse rubbed his arm where Jen had hit him.

"I was! The smoothies sucked!" Jen glared at him.

"Okay that's a deal Jesse James…but only if you promise that from now on we are officially BFFs" Jesse winced at the girlyness of the word.

"Do we have to call it that? Can't we be buddies or pals something?" Jen shook her head.

"Nope BFF it is whether you like it or not! Okay?" Jen held her hand out. Jesse shook it, "Alrighty then, you've got yourself a deal lil' lady…"


	14. Chapter 13: Why Don't You Kiss Her?

Just as they had promised, Jen and Jesse met Cali in front of the arcade at 10:00 sharp. Neither of the two felt the need to tell Cali or Sophie what exactly happened that night, it was their own little secret that Jesse knew wouldn't be kept for long. Jen jumped over the side of the car and slid down into a comfortable position across from Jesse. Cali looked back at the two of them through her rear view mirror, and noticed how exhausted they were. She could help but feel curious as to what her cousin and Jesse had been doing for the last couple of hours, but judging by how tired they looked she figured she'd ask her questions later. She picked up her Ipod, and after searching through nearly all of her playlists, found "Windmills" , a slow romantic song which somehow seemed to fit the evening appropriately.

In the back, Jen shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She shivered at coolness of the nighttime air, and held her arms close in attempt to keep herself warm. Jesse looked over at Jen who was curled up into a little ball on the opposite side of the car. Her teeth chattered and small Goosebumps appeared one after the other on her arms and legs. Jesse took off his sweatshirt and placed it overtop of Jen, hoping it could keep her warm for at least a little while. A few minutes later, she stopped shivering, and finally found a comfortable position to sleep in. Jesse smiled at her, she was cute when she slept, she was cute when she laughed, she was…exactly what he felt he'd been missing. She was that one girl, that certain someone, he felt he could really trust. Jesse smiled at the thought, then leaned his head back and looked up at the stars, which tonight, seemed all the more beautiful.

Cali got back to their house around 10:30 as expected. She found Tanner sitting her driveway anxiously waiting for her and Jesse to arrive. Cali and Sophie got out of the car and walked inside with Tanner, all three of them discussing what might have happened between Jen and Jesse that night. The two of them stayed behind. Jen still lay fast asleep in the back of Cali's car. Jesse got out, walked over to Jen and tapped her on the shoulder.

"…Jen….we're home….c'mon let's get you to bed…" He whispered. Jen opened her eyes a little, just enough to see Jesse standing next to her.

"….Hi Jesse…" She said softly then smiled and fell back to sleep. Jesse laughed quietly to himself.

"…its been a long night…you should get some rest…" he said then reached over the side of the car and placed his arms around Jen. He then lifted her up out of the car and started towards the house. She wrapped her arms around his neck and gently leaned her head on his shoulder. Jesse shivered as he felt her soft and steady breaths fall upon his neck. His focus wavered as he held her closer to him. He knew very well, since the moment she stepped off the plane, that she'd seen him only as friend. Whenever anyone asked about her relationship with him, she would continuously deny feeling anything for him. And he too had denied feeling anything for her, at first. Before he had gotten to know her, the thought of "them" being together, never even crossed his mind…but since he'd spent time with her and gotten the chance to understand who she really was, he wasn't sure how long he could deny the way he really felt about her. Then again, the fact still remained that he hadn't said anything about who he was or what he'd done. She still didn't know, he didn't want her to know, at least not for now.

Jesse walked quietly into Cali's house with Jen still in his arms. Tanner, Sophie, and Cali were all seated in the kitchen talking and laughing loudly amongst themselves. Jesse knew this was the perfect opportunity to get Jen upstairs without anyone knowing. He walked up stairs softly as he could praying that no one would hear him. Jesse finally reached the top of the stairs and walked into Jen's room. About two steps away from her bed Jesse tripped and fell over a pile of Jen's clothes that she Cali and had sorted through earlier in the evening. They both landed on her bed.

Jesse opened his eyes and found himself lying over top of Jen who by some strange miracle was still asleep. Jesse swallowed hard…this was the closest he'd been to her since they'd met. Her lips were so near to his, her body so close to his, and suddenly a strange and powerful feeling surged through his every vein, telling him, inviting him to kiss her. He closed his eyes and leaned in towards her.

"…..Jesse…."

He had been just inches away from the much-desired kiss, but upon reflex immediately pulled away from her at the sound of his name. He frantically looked around to see who had called it and shortly after, realized that it was none other then Jen. She'd mumbled his name in her sleep. Jesse couldn't help but feel the slightest bit embarrassed at his actions. What was he thinking? If he had kissed her she probably would have woken up and slapped him. He remembered how uncomfortable she was when Trevor tried to kiss her. Trevor was out of control, his only aim was to get what he wanted. Jesse didn't want to be Trevor, he didn't want to do this without knowing that she wanted it too. Even so, he still wasn't quite sure exactly how he felt about her, but even in all his confusion he knew that something was there. Jesse got up off of Jen's bed and tucked her in.

"…sleep well…" he whispered and lightly brushed his hand along her cheek.

Before he left Jesse stopped and looked at Jen, she was so peaceful when she slept. He didn't want to leave her, and if he'd had a choice in the matter he would have stayed beside her for the rest of the night. Suddenly Jesse heard Tanner say from down stairs that he was on his way out, and quickly realized that he would be expecting him to still be outside in the car, with Jen…not here. Jesse hurriedly walked over to the doorway, turned off the light and closed the door behind him, and made his way down the steps.

Jesse walked silently back downstairs and headed over towards the doorway, hoping he could leave Cali's house unnoticed. Tanner met him at the bottom of the stairs.

"Hey bro where were you just now?" Tanner asked suspiciously.

"A….the…the bathroom…I just came in for a sec…" Jesse replied nervously.

"Oh…ok…" Jesse cleared his throat and walked hastily towards the door.

"…Jess…" Tanner called from behind him.

"…what…?" Jesse didn't dare turn around to face his brother, something about the suspicion in Tanner's voice made him very uncomfortable.

"…you wouldn't happen to know where Jen is would you? Cuz Cali walked out to the car a minute ago to see if she was still there and a…you guys weren't around…" Jesse froze, if he didn't come up with a decent excuse Tanner would know he was lying.

"….Um…actually right after you guys went inside, she woke up and I asked her to show me where the bathroom was…that's all…" Jesse continued walking towards the door.

"…there's one down stairs too …" Jesse stopped dead in his tracks.

"….oh I-I wouldn't have known…hey Tan tell Cali and Sophie goodnight for me I'm gunna head back…" Jesse opened the door.

"…what about Jen?" Tanner said deviously. He was watching Jesse's every move and from the sound of things Jesse was almost certain that Tanner could see right through him.

"…yea her too…she's asleep though…" As soon as those very words left Jesse's mouth he knew that he'd given himself away.

"How would you know that?" Tanner started walking over towards Jesse.

"Ah…lucky guess? Kinda…well I'm really tired so…I'm gunna go…Later!" Just before Tanner could reach him Jesse bolted out the door and ran down the street back towards home.

As soon as Jesse was far enough from Cali's house he slowed himself down to his usual lazy pace. Jesse looked down at his feet as he walked, replaying everything that had happened that night over and over in his mind. Jesse couldn't seem stop thinking about her. He couldn't forget the way she looked at him when they hid in the allyway together. He remembered her eyes, the way she stared back into his as if she wanted him to kiss her…and he only now realized what she had subtly asked him for. He'd never seen her look at him the way she did. At that moment, he had been so pre-occupied trying to figure out what to do, that he'd missed his chance entirely. They had been standing there in the darkness, holding one another, just the two of them and no one else…and he had blindly brushed the moment aside. Jesse slapped his forehead,

"Damn it! You stupid, stupid idiot…you ruined a perfectly good opportunity…" he said to himself angrily as he continued down the sidewalk.

A few minutes later Jesse finally arrived at his house. He searched under the doormat for his key, then opened the door, and let himself in. Jesse ran upstairs to his room neither thinking nor caring about how loud he was. He trudged down the hall way and finally walked into his room, still feeling quite angry at himself for what he'd done or not done in this case. He kicked off his flip flops, causing them to fly across the room, then pulled of his tee shirt and threw it in the general direction of the laundry basket over his shoulder. He then collapsed on his bed, facing the ceiling, his hands resting behind his head and his feet crossed. He stared at the slow moving fan above him then reached over and took his Ipod off a small night table near his bed. Jesse looked through his songs and turned to one of his personal favorites. As the music began to play, Jesse rolled over on his side towards the window that faced Jen's room. Her window was open, and before he too drifted off sleep, Jesse began to sing the final verse of the song aloud hoping that she would hear him. "…all I wanna do is please you, please myself by living my life too, and all the stupid things I do have absolutely no reflection on, how I feel about you, how I feel a-…oh…how I feel about you…" and with that Jesse drifted off to sleep, accompanied by the guitarist's sweet beginning melody to the following song entitled "Why don't you kiss her"…


	15. Chapter 14: After 3:00 AM

When Jesse woke up, he found himself lying on a cold hardwood floor in a place that he didn't recognize. He felt strange, he tried looking around, but his eyes were so heavy that he could barely keep them open. A few seconds later, he noticed someone was shaking him. He lazily moved his eyes over in their direction. Jesse blinked a few times until the figure came into focus. The stranger was no other then Jesse's best friend Alex, from back home in Miami.

"…Jess! Jesse! Man…how much of my stuff did you have to drink anyway?" Jesse barely understood anything Alex had said, his ears were ringing.

He was hardly able to speak, he tried to respond to Alex, and when he did, the words that came out of his mouth were nonsense. Alex reached over and helped him up. Jesse finally managed to say something that was remotely understandable.

"….h-hey Alex…can…we…go back to your place…I can't…go home like this dude…" Alex laughed awkwardly; Jesse could smell the heavy scent of vodka on his breath.

"….y-yea…man no problem…oh…wait dude I got a ride here do you have your keys with you or somethin'?" he asked.

Jesse reached into the wrong pocket and rummaged through candy wrappers and change for quite awhile until he realized that his keys were not there. He stuck his hand in his back pocket, pulled out his gold colored car keys, and handed them to Alex.

"…wait…wait…wait…where's Dill?" Jesse mumbled.

"He's a tryin' to prove to some girl that he can down more shots then she can…he's had like 9 already and he's definitely ….about to pass out…I think…I'm the most sober of all of us…so…I'm drivin'…" Alex helped Jesse to his feet and started walking towards the door.

On their way out they passed hoards of people who were either playing drinking games, dancing, hooking up, or passing out on the floor similar to the way Jesse had. As they passed the kitchen, Alex grabbed Dillon and the three of them headed outside. When they reached Jesse's car Dillon stumbled into the passenger's seat and Jesse collapsed in the back. Alex started the car and pulled out of the driveway. Jesse reached into the front and turned on the radio.

"…Dill open the glove thing will ya…" Jesse pointed to the glove compartment in front of Dillon's seat. Dillon opened it and found 3 more beers that Jesse had left over from his last party.

"…Alright…dude let me have one!" Alex grabbed a beer and continued down the road.

About 20 minutes later, they reached an intersection in the middle of town. The stoplight turned red just as they approached it. Jesse, Alex and Dillon looked in all other directions and saw no one nearby. Jesse grew increasingly impatient and saw no point of sitting at a red light for 10 minutes when there was no one around.

"….Dude…go….there's nobody here man….c'mon its not like were gunna get caught…" he whispered to Alex.

"…but what if…somebody sees us?" Alex replied half concerned.

"…whatever dude, nobody's alive after 3:00 am…" Jesse shouted.

"Yea, nobody but you Jess!" Dillon replied.

"Hey, just cuz I'm loud when I'm drunk...doesn't make me a bad person...and Dillon you be quiet or I'll..."

"You'll what?" Dillon replied teasingly, knowing very well that Jesse was too drunk to even sit up straight.

"I'll kick your ass or steal your girlfriend that's what..." Jesse laughed.

"You wanna come up here and say that again?" Dillon warned.

"…maybe I will…" Jesse started crawling upfront, and Dillon effortlessly pushed him back into his seat. Jesse was far too disoriented to even try and get up again.

"…Get you're hands off me Dillon, dude, I know we're friends but I don't like you like that…" Dillon sighed.

"Jesse, shut up...you're an idiot…"

Alex laughed at the two of them. Jesse scowled at Dillon.

"...hey why don't you shut up..." he said childishly, Dillon ignored him.

"Guys, how about both of you shut up, its nearly three and according to Jesse, were almost outa time, so if we've only got a minute to live lets make it count!" The three of them switched bottles (an old tradition of theirs) and chugged the rest of each other's beers. Alex was so busy drinking that he didn't realize that the car was inching into the center of the intersection. Suddenly, almost out of nowhere a pair of bright headlights sped towards them. Jesse froze, he knew what was about to happen and all he could do was try and block out the sound of screeching tires and shattering glass.

"Jess! Wake up! C'mon!" Tanner was standing at Jesse's bedside shaking him.

Jesse sat upright in his bed, sweat covered his face and his breaths were erratic and uncontrolled. He frantically looked around his room, trying to figure out where he was. His heart was beating two times its normal pace and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't erase the images in his mind.

"Jesse what's wrong? I heard you all the way upstairs, are you okay?" Tanner asked worriedly.

Jesse looked directly at his brother. Tanner had never seen him this frightened before. Jesse tried to begin and explain what had happened.

"Tanner…I…I …" He buried his face in his hands and started crying. Tanner sat down next to him and placed his arm around his brother's shoulders.

"…shh it's alright…you're fine…take a deep breath okay?" Tanner's heart sunk as he realized what Jesse was going through again. Ever since his accident, Jesse would get these night terrors every once in a while, and all Tanner could do was help him calm down. Jesse hugged his knees to his chest.

"…it was my fault….that…Dillon and Alex….that they…" He burst into tears.

Tanner didn't know what to do, he hated seeing Jesse in this much pain, but what he hated most of all was that fact that he could do nothing ease it.

"…Jess you know that's not true…" Jesse looked up at Tanner his eyes reddened from crying.

"No…you don't understand…I told him…I told him to go Tanner when we weren't supposed to…it was me! And its because of me that…" Tanner couldn't let Jesse continue.

"…Listen, it wasn't your fault…you can't blame yourself like this…you're a good kid Jess, we all know that, I know it, Jen knows it, and I'll be damned if Cali doesn't know it too…we're all here for you bro and don't let yourself forget that…okay squirt?" Tanner ruffled Jesse's hair. Jesse smiled a little bit and wiped the tears away from his eyes.

"…yea I guess so…" Tanner patted him on the back.

"…hey listen, get some rest ok? We've got a busy day tomorrow and I don't want you walking around half asleep all day! Comprende?" Jesse laughed quietly

"…yea…" He lay back down on his bed and closed his eyes. Tanner leaned over, tucked him in and headed towards the door. Just before he left the room, Jesse stopped him.

"…Hey Tanner…?" he turned around.

"Yea?" Tanner asked.

"…thanks bro…" Tanner smiled.

"Yea anytime…" he then turned off the light and closed the door behind him.

Shortly after Tanner had gone, Jesse got up and walked over to his desk. He opened up one of the drawers and pulled out a small photograph, then returned to his bed. He sat for a while, staring at the tiny picture of himself and his two friends hanging out at his 16th birthday party. Looking at this picture caused him a great deal of pain, so much so that he considered tearing it into shreds. But just before he let frustration get the best of him he stopped, and at that moment realized that the tiny picture of him and his friends that he'd nearly disposed of was last one they took together.


	16. Chapter 15: First Loves

Jesse was awakened the next morning by the sound of Tanner's alarm ringing loudly from across the hall. He lazily moved his eyes over in the direction of his own clock, and squinted at the brightness of the luminescent numbers which formed a blurry 4:30 PM on the digitalized face. Jesse groaned and turned away from his clock, he'd slept all day but felt as if he had only been asleep for a few hours .

"… 4:30...?" he moaned. "…..why is his alarm going off in the middle of the afternoon?…Tanner turn it off!" he mumbled. Jesse buried his face back down into his pillows and tried desperately to fall back to sleep despite the unending noise coming from his brother's room. He lay quietly in his bed, holding his ears, waiting as patiently as he could for someone to put an end to the excruciatingly loud beeping of Tanner's alarm clock. After about 5 minutes, he couldn't bare the noise any longer.

"TANNER?" he yelled, "….TURN OFF YOUR ALARM!" he said angrily. A few seconds later, the alarm stopped, and Jesse, who was greatly enjoying the quietness of the house, pulled his covers back over his head and closed his eyes.

He had only been a few minutes asleep, when someone grabbed his pillow out from underneath him and pulled off his covers.

"Rise and Shine!" said a very familiar voice. Jesse shivered slightly at the absence of his blankets.

"…C-cold….blankets…give me…blankets….p-please…." He said half consciously. Jesse didn't move, he simply lay there, with his eyes closed and his body sprawled out across his bed.

"Um…Jesse…wake up I have a question to ask you…" the stranger inquired. Jesse moaned and rolled over on his side, trying to ignore her.

"…I was wondering if you wanna come with me and Sophie to pick up some supplies for Cali's party later…we're gunna need a few extra hands to carry everything" she asked.

"…5 more minutes…" he groaned. The stranger shook her head and sighed; then climbed onto his bed and sat down next to him.

"….It looks like you didn't sleep very well last night and that's probably why you don't wanna get up right now but we really need your help…Cali's party is in a few hours and there's a lot of things we can do to help out…so will you come with me? It'll be fun…please?" the girl pleaded. Jesse listened to her voice for a minute and realized that the girl in his room, sitting on his bed was none other then Jen. Jesse shifted over to face her.

"…Jen…I-I'd love to but…I'm really not feeling up to much today…last night I kinda…never mind…" his voice trailed off.

"…bad dreams keep you up...?" she replied avoiding his gaze. Jesse's eyes widened in disbelief, how did she know? Had Tanner told her? Did she know about what happened? Jesse sat upright, placed his hand on Jen's shoulder, and looked directly at her.

"…how did you…" Jen cut him off mid sentence.

"Look…I've had a few myself, I know exactly what your talking about. How scared and shaken up you feel even after you wake up. How even when your asleep certain memories which you've tried really hard to forget somehow manage to resurface. How no one really understands what its like to have nights like that…listen…I might not know what happened to you but…I do know that for me nights like those were really bad…I used to have flashbacks of what happened between me and Bryan that day. Anyways, I know what you mean, and I'll understand if you don't come, I can just go with Sophie to pick up the party stuff with her, you just get some rest okay?" Jen said quietly then started to get up off of Jesse's bed.

He stopped her, and placed his hand gently around her wrist and pulled her back down on to the bed. Jen's cheeks turned a soft shade of pink as she found herself once again in Jesse's arms. He held her for a long time, and she greatly enjoyed every minute of him. She loved the way he held her, the way he would lock her safely away in his arms and never let her leave. Every time he held her this way she would stop and suddenly realize that the longer she held on to him the harder it was to let him go.

Shortly afterwards Jesse pulled away from Jen feeling slightly embarrassed at his actions.

"…ah…s-sorry about that I just…" Jesse blushed.

"…its fine…really…you looked like you needed a hug anyway." Jesse bit his bottom lip and smiled.

"So ah…when are we leaving? I should get dressed if we're going soon." Jen smiled then got up and walked over towards the doorway.

"Yea, I'll leave you to it…be out in five, I'll be waiting outside for you." she replied then closed the door and walked back downstairs.

A few minutes later Jesse bolted down the stairs grabbed his house keys and ran outside to meet Jen and Sophie who were patiently waiting for him in the driveway.

"Hey there! Ready to go?" Jen said cheerfully.

"Yea but…um where are we going?" Jesse asked.

"Oh right um we're heading out to pick up some party stuff for Cali." Jesse looked at Jen confused.

"Party?" he asked.

"Yea she's having this huge end of the week party tonight…its supposed to be fun she has them every Friday." Jen replied.

"Really? That sounds pretty cool…um…do you wanna...I mean…are you going?" Jesse said sheepishly. Jen smiled.

"Yea…but I have the feeling were gunna be the only highschoolers there, its mostly Cali and Tanner's friends who are going." she said while reading through the latest issue of Teen People that she found lying on the floor of Cali's car.

"Well I guess that means that I'm gunna be stuck with you the whole time..." Jesse said sarcastically.

"Excuse me…I believe I am the one who is stuck with you not vise versa...ya know, I can just hang out with Tanner if you get too boring…he seems to like me more then you do…" Jen said devilishly. Jesse's jaw dropped.

"Is that a joke cuz if its not you can be replaced by a mattress, a couple of pillows and a blanket i.e. nap" Jen glared at him.

"Why did I wake you up again?" she said jokingly.

"Cuz you love me?" Jesse said playfully. "

Exactly!" Jen teased as they continued driving into town to pick up supplies for the party.

Meanwhile back at the house Cali and Tanner rummaged around the backyard setting up and lighting Tiki torches for the later party. "I'm thinking Hawaiian theme…or should we stick with the California surfer idea?" Cali asked Tanner who was busy setting up tables and chairs over by the pool.

"I dunno maybe we can do both…whatever you want…" he said quietly.

Cali put down the bunch of grass skirts which she was carrying and walked over to Tanner who had sat down next to the pool. Cali kneeled down next to Tanner who had his head buried in his hands.

"Hey…what's wrong Tan?" she asked worriedly. Tanner leaned over towards Cali and rested his head on her shoulder. He sighed heavily.

"Its just…Jesse had another one of those dreams last night… its been so long since he's had one…usually he'll just wake up and come talk to me…but this time was different it really bothered me… I've never seen him as scared as he was last night…he was crying Cali…he hasn't cried like that since…" Tanner stopped, not wanting to continue thinking about what had happened to Jesse. Cali ran her fingers through Tanners shaggy chestnut brown hair.

"I know…but I think that if we all can help him take his mind off of what happened and finally let him move on he won't have dreams like this anymore…" she said softly.

"But I…I don't know how to help him Cali…I just didn't know what to do…I should…I'm his brother…I-I'm supposed to know how to take care of him…but I really haven't done the best job of it lately…Cali if I had been there that night, if I had been home with mom then maybe I could have…I…" Tanner's voice grew increasingly unsteady as he came nearer to tears. Cali gently brushed her fingers along Tanner's cheek.

"…Tanner there was nothing anyone could have done, but what really matters is that you and Jesse both are here with each other now, and I know that you two still love and care about each other even if your not always together. Tanner…you have been the most amazing big brother to Jesse and I know he knows it, even if it doesn't always show. You…you've done so much for Jesse…and…you've done so much for me…and I don't want you to ever doubt that…because you mean a lot to the both of us…and I don't know what he…or what I would do without you…" Cali's voice trailed off into a whisper.

Tanner reached up and brushed a strand of Cali's hair out of her eyes, then gently moved his hand along the side of her face. Tanner stared at Cali intently, then slowly leaned in to kiss her. Tanner's lips landed softly upon Cali's just the way they did on their very first kiss two summers ago. Cali had almost forgotten the feel of his soft and gentle hands upon her face. She'd forgotten about his warm and welcoming lips which she had grown so accustomed to. She'd forgotten about the intoxicating scent of Tanner's cologne which always lingered in the air even after he had gone. She'd nearly forgotten about her first love, her only love, who'd re-emerged just in time to remind her.


	17. Chapter 16: Yellow

Jesse, Jen and Sophie returned back to Cali's house about a half and hour later, with the back seat of the car over flowing with bags filled with the party items that Cali had asked them to buy. Sophie pulled into the driveway in front of Cali's house and she, Jen, and Jesse got out of the car. Sophie and Jen took charge of carrying the lighter loads, while Jesse, who was left to carry the heavier lot, struggled to keep his balance on his way into the house. Once inside, Sophie threw her bags in the general direction of the kitchen table and walked out to the backyard where she found Cali rummaging through a box of party CDs which she and Tanner had made the for the summer.

"Hey you! What's up? We just got back about five minutes ago. We bought all the things that you asked for but it took a lot long then I thought!" Sophie began. Cali looked up at Sophie who was gazing into a small compact mirror she held, admiring her new pair of Christian Dior sunglasses.

"Oh…" Cali replied seeming distracted.

"It was crazy! Jen and Jesse were arguing the whole time over which theme you'd like better….as you can probably guess Jesse was on the Surfer side and Jen of course stuck with the grass skirts. I wasn't about to step in-between world war three so I just bought both Hawaiian and Surfer party stuff…" she continued.

Cali had paid little attention to what Sophie had said, she was far too busy looking down into the cardboard box filled with CDs. She paused for a minute, then picked up an older looking CD and held it delicately in her hands. She regarded it briefly then flashed the cover of the case to Sophie.

"Hey Soph, do you remember this?" Cali said smiling then handed the CD to Sophie who recognized it instantly.

"Songs for Cali by Tanner aka Tan the man (PS: Go to track #7 then read the note on the back of this case)…" Cali laughed as she struggled to read Tanners 10th grade handwriting aloud.

She smiled as she remembered the day when Tanner had first given the CD to her. She then got up and walked over to a nearby boom box that was sitting over top of a small table not to far from the pool. Cali then put in the CD and skipped forward to Track 7.

"Cali, we really don't have time for this right now…we've got a lot of work to do and if people start showing up and they hear sappy love songs instead of party music they're gunna leave!" Sophie complained.

"Listen Soph, people aren't coming for another hour and a half and right now I'm kind of in the mood for sappy love songs…so deal!" Cali retorted.

When the music began the two girls swooned momentarily as they heard Tanner playing on his own guitar the well known introduction to Coldplay's "Yellow". Jesse shortly afterwards softly began singing the unforgettable first verse of the song, along with Tanner who played each chord flawlessly in the background.

"Wow…" Sophie said as she listened to the breathtaking musical collaboration of the two brothers.

"…this is amazing…"she said almost as if she'd been star struck.

"I…never knew that they were such good musicians…well, maybe I could have guessed Jesse. He has been singing a lot lately… now that I think about it he's not half bad at it either…" she continued.

"…yea I know he's very good…both him and Tanner are really talented… it runs in the family ya know…" Cali said while looking through some of the other CD's which Jesse and Tanner had recorded together.

"Soph…I think remember why I was so crazy about Tanner two summers ago…" Cali said quietly. Sophie looked over at Cali who was gazing dreamily up at the sky.

"…I loved everything about him…how he would talk to me, and how he could always cheer me up in that quirky Tanner kind of way whenever I was upset. But the one thing that really got to me was his music…it was something about the way he played his guitar, the way he held it in his hands, and the way he put all of himself into it when he played, it was just…" Cali stopped, realizing that her words would fail her if she attempted to continue. Sophie stared at Cali with an expression of utter confusion written across her face. She couldn't help but feel a bit shocked and surprised at her roommate's newfound romantic aura.

"You know something…" Sophie began.

"…you're acting very different then the Cali I talked to this morning…" Cali broke away from her staring contest with the stars and looked directly at Sophie.

"…what are you talking about...?" Cali asked apprehensively, knowing very well that Sophie could and would find out about what went on between her and Tanner earlier that afternoon.

" …I'm talking about the Cali I talked to before Tanner came over…" Sophie said deviously, hoping to instill some level of discomfort in Cali. Cali didn't move or speak, she hadn't the slightest idea of how to respond to Sophie.

"Did…um… something…happen that I don't know about?" Sophie inquired. Cali immediately shook of her feelings of embarrassment and discomfort and decided to make the most of the ridiculously awkward situation.

"…maybe…maybe not…I'm not allowed to disclose that information to you…" she replied smugly while crossing her arms and looking away from Sophie in a snobby fashion. Sophie's jaw dropped.

"…What do you mean you're not allowed to disclose that information! Excuse me but last time I checked I filled the position of best friend who knows and is told about all happenings i.e hook ups, break ups, etc in your life!" Sophie replied irritably. Cali laughed at Sophie's expression of betrayal, and then suddenly noticed Tanner walk out of the house carrying a blow up Hula girl, which he placed over by the pool. Her attention immediately shifted away from Sophie and over to Tanner.

"… Cali…I'm over here…" Sophie said while waving her hand in front of Cali's eyes which remained fixed on Tanner.

"Caaaaliiii telll mee what happened!" Sophie whined, Cali continued to ignore her. Tanner made his way over to where Cali and Sophie were, sat down behind Cali, wrapped his arms around her waist then kissed her playfully on the cheek. Sophie stopped what she was doing and looked frantically back and forth between Tanner and Cali.

"Wait a minute…are you guys…back together or something?" she asked.

"Maybe…maybe not…" Cali and Tanner replied simultaneously.

"Okay fine I get it no further questions…so Cali, the reason why you've been listening to that lovey-dovey CD non stop for the past hour…is because of Tanner! Aww you guys!" Sophie cooed. Tanner looked down at Cali and smiled.

"So I see that you've been listening to that dorky CD that I made for you 2 years ago…pretty cheesy right?" Tanner said laughing.

"I liked it..." Cali said assuredly.

"Really? It was so bad! I remember when I gave it to you, I felt so stupid! I was so embarrassed that I actually went through with giving it to you that I avoided you that entire week at school!" Tanner said bashfully.

"What? Why?" Cali asked. "…I was scared of what you would say to that note I left you on the back…" he replied. Sophie picked up the CD case and examined the back, then looked at Tanner confusedly.

"What did it say? The case is pretty beaten up and you're hand writing is all smudged." She said.

"Well, looks like somebody took great care of it after all." Tanner said sarcastically.

"…I did really it just got kind of lost and rained on but besides that part it's in good shape!" Cali replied.

"Anyways, it used to have a dedication written on the back…but I don't exactly remember what I said so I'll add a little _je ne sais quoi_ to it. And before I start, I want you to know that I think that by saying this dedication to you in person, instead of shoving a crumpled up note and CD under your door then running away like I did in 10th grade subtracts some points from the Tanner's a pathetic loser fund…" he said teasingly.

"No it won't your still a dork!" Jesse yelled from inside the house. Jen who was standing beside Jesse laughed aloud along with Cali and Sophie.

"Shut it kid!" Tanner shouted back at him, then picked up a garden hose and pointed it at the window that Jesse was poking his head out of. Jesse ducked back inside the house, hoping to avoid being sprayed, but banged his head against the bottom of the window in the process of doing so.

"Ow!" he yelled while rubbing the back of his head.

"Serves you right pip squeak!" Tanner replied.

"Shut your face lover boy!" Jesse taunted from behind the half-closed window.

"I will spray you…don't think I won't…" Tanner said threateningly.

"Um, not while you're at Cali's house, you wouldn't wanna get your girlfriewd's stuff all soggy." Jesse answered in a child like voice. Before Tanner could react, Jen reached over and placed her hand over Jesse's mouth preventing him from saying another word.

"Just ignore him Tanner! I'll keep him quiet for a few minutes while you read Cali your note! But hurry up I can't hold him for much longer!" Tanner nodded and then picked up an artificially made, pink colored Hawaiian flower off a nearby table. He then took Cali by the hand, pulled her up off the ground, and placed the flower in her hair.

"This CD/flower is for the most awesome, amazing, and most beautiful girl I've ever known or will know…and I hope that she accepts it as a token of my love and affection, and I hope she will not see me as a total loser or complete weirdo, and doesn't reject me horribly in front of everyone present…the end…PS: In other words will you go out with me yes or no? –Tanner." Tanner felt a bit embarrassed at the way his dedication speech had turned out, but Cali only smiled at him. "Yes." Cali said assuredly. Tanner smiled warmly then kissed Cali even longer then he had before.

"Aw, Jess did you see that?" Jen squealed. Jesse rolled his eyes.

"Get a room!" he yelled out the window. Jen glared at him.

"…you're not a romantic at all are you...?" Jen said disappointedly. Jesse looked at her feeling somewhat hurt.

"No…I-I ah…well I'm not anything like my brother if that's what you mean but when it comes to romance I'd know more about it then you'd think…" he said timidly. Jen raised one eyebrow and looked at Jesse skeptically.

"Really? You could have fooled me!" she said.

"You don't believe me? Then I'll prove it to you…tonight at the party…if you decide to show up that is…" he replied.

"Jesse, it's at my cousin's house how can I not go?" Jen said laughing.

"Whatever…I'll see you in a half hour…and you better be ready…" Jesse said assuredly. "Okay then Romeo…I'll be waiting…"


	18. Chapter 17: She's No You

Jesse ran back to his house and headed straight upstairs to his room. He threw his shirt off, grabbed a nearby towel, and made his way over to the shower. Jesse got in and turned on the water faucet. He shivered slightly as cold droplets of water fell softly upon his face. He enjoyed the rush of cold water, the feel of each droplet beating down on his body. As he stood there, Jesse thought about the night ahead. He knew what he wanted to do, tonight would be the night, the night where he would tell Jen how he felt about her. She had done a great deal for him and tonight was his turn to be there for her.

He got out of the shower shortly afterwards and walked out of the bathroom and over to his closet. He looked through a couple of his nicest shirts, but tonight he wanted to look sharp and boring button downs weren't doing the trick. He continued looking through his closet until he stumbled across one outfit that stood out from the rest. It was his white tux that he had planned to wear to prom before the accident. He never ended up wearing it, and he probably wouldn't have many chances to, so "why not sweep her off her feet" he thought. Jesse carefully took it out of his closet and laid it down on his bed. He stared at it for a minute, "What am I doing? I'm going all out like its prom night, Tanner's friends are never gunna let me forget this, but who cares! I'm a man on a mission, and there's no way I'm backing down. I'll show her romance…" he said confidently as he began to change. He quickly sprayed on some of his favorite cologne, and combed his hair. He looked over at his alarm clock and realized that the party had started a half hour ago. Seeing that he was late Jesse threw on a pair of shoes and ran out the door. He bolted down the stairs and locked the front door then left the house.

As Jesse came closer to the sounds of loud music and rowdy soon to be college students he began feel more apprehensive. He knew what he was going to find at a college party, and there was nothing he wanted more then to avoid getting involved with any of Tanner or Cali's drunk friends. He wanted to find Jen as quickly as he could and then go some place where the two of them could talk. He arrived at Cali's door and hesitated briefly still feeling skeptical about the party. He sighed and took a deep breath then rung the door bell. Before anyone answered, Jesse loosened his bow tie and brushed his bangs over his eyes to avoid looking too dressed up. A few seconds later, the door opened and Jesse found himself staring at a blonde haired blue-eyed girl he didn't recognize. She looked about 18, her hair was long, high lighted, and draped over her shoulders. She wore black bikini, which seemed to go perfectly with her store bought tanned skin. Jesse admired her figure, she was attractive but he wasn't here for her.

"Hey cutie, are you a friend of Cali's" she asked flirtatiously. Jesse cringed at the heavy scent of alcohol on her breath,

"Ah…yea um…do you know where she is?" he asked timidly. "Hmm, well no but we can go look for her, come on in." she replied. When Jesse stepped past her she looked him up and down clearly finding him attractive. She led him over to the bar where she offered him a seat.

"Do you wanna drink?" she asked casually. Jesse stared at her blankly, a bit thrown off by her question.

"…what? No, no, I don't ah…" she walked past him and sat down next to him with a shot glass in her hand.

"Whatever, you looked a little young anyways, so are you here with anybody?" she asked.

"You mean…" Jesse began.

" I mean like a girlfriend…" she said intrusively. Jesse blushed.

"Ah….n…no well not really…but I am looking for someone, Cali's cousin, have you seen her around?" he asked.

"Yea….um…I think I saw her upstairs…I'll show you where she is…" she said slyly, then downed a shot and took Jesse by the hand and led him over to the stairs.He felt a little uncomfortable with the situation, here he was being led upstairs by a drunk 18 year old girl who didn't seem like someone he could trust.

He let go of her hand, "Look um…" he began.

"It's Katie…" she interrupted.

"Look, Katie, I don't wanna bother you, so I think I'll just wait for her outside…but thank y…" Katie placed her finger on his lips.

"Shhh…I definitely saw her up here earlier, just follow me…"she persisted.

Not wanting to upset her, he continued to follow her unwillingly down the hallway. He looked down at the clusters of beer bottles on the floor and remembered when he would have been responsible for drinking every last one of them. Katie walked by someone who had passed out on the bathroom floor and giggled quietly to herself. Jesse stared at the person and began to remember when he was that guy, who would go to party after party, going crazy, getting drunk and passing out, the thought of who and what he used to be disgusted him. His heart was racing, this was the last place he wanted to be, everything he saw was an unpleasant reminder of home, he couldn't bare to stay around this place and these people any longer.

"Katie...I think I should leave…" he said nauseously.

"We're here." She said completely ignoring him. She opened up the door to a room at the end of the hallway. They stepped inside, the room looked very familiar. Jesse looked around and saw no sign of Jen anywhere, and that's when it hit him, Katie had no idea who or where Jen was at all. He abruptly turned around to face her.

"…what are you doing?" he said nervously as he watched her fingers move closer to the lock on the door.

"…having a little fun…" she said deviously as she locked the door behind her. Jesse began to back away from her but she only came closer.

"…Katie what are you doing…" Jesse said tensely he watched her coming closer to him. He continued stepping away from her until his legs ran into the side of the bed behind him.

"…so I hear you're from out of town…let me show you how we say hello in California…" she smirked, and then, having caught up with Jesse, pushed him down onto the bed and climbed over top of him. Before Jesse was able to react, she took hold of both of his hands and held them in hers, pinning him down on the bed. Jesse was petrified, he didn't know what he could do, he didn't even know who this girl was, he didn't want this, not at all, but it didn't look like there was anyway out of the situation. Jesse lay there motionless, not wanting to hurt her he didn't resist her.

"Relax…"she whispered in his ear, "I promise you'll like this…" she said as she kissed her way down his neck and began unbuttoning his shirt. Jesse turned away from her but she didn't stop, she had him right where she wanted, and there was not much he could do about it.

Katie was interrupted by the sound of someone unlocking the door from the outside. The door opened and both Katie and Jesse turned to see who it was.

"….Jesse…." said the girl in a whisper.

She stood there in the light, her face completely void of any expression, her wavering stare was blank, and the color in her cheeks faded. Jesse swallowed hard, as he stared back at her knowing full well that there was no way that he could amend the situation. He looked at her not knowing what to say, all he could do was watch her as she stood there, silenced by the sound of her heart breaking.

Jesse immediately sat up and pushed Katie off of him. " Wait, listen to me this isn't…Jen I…" she cut him off with her icy gaze.

"…I don't wanna hear it…save your sweet talking for someone else…" she said tonelessly before she turned and left the room. "Jen!" He called after her. Katie grabbed his wrist.

"Talk about drama queens, what's her problem…" she said teasingly. Jesse snatched his wrist right back out of her grasp and glared at her.

" **_You're _**her problem! Don't come near me again." He said ferociously then ran out the door after Jen.

Jesse ran as fast as he could down the stairs hoping to catch her. He stepped off the last stair just as she was opening the door. He reached out and placed his hand on Jen's shoulder. She whipped around to face him.

"I don't wanna talk to you, I don't wanna see you, I don't want anything to do with you, so take your hands off me!" she shouted loud enough to gather crowd of curious eavesdroppers. Jesse tried to begin explaining himself.

"Listen to me, this really isn't what you think! I was looking for you and then she…" Jen cut him off.

"Oh, so because you couldn't find me you go up to the first skank you see and hook up with her right? I get it, so this is what you're really about huh?" Jesse placed each hand on her shoulders and looked directly into Jen eyes.

"No…please…listen to me I…" Jen glared at him.

"You wha…" Before Jen could finish her sentence, Jesse leaned in and kissed her passionately in front of a crowd of nearly everyone at the party.

The room was silent.

Seconds later, Jesse pulled away from Jen and looked into her eyes hoping that she would understand what he was trying to tell her. But her stare remained as cold and empty as it had been before. She then on impulse raised her hand and slapped him as hard as she could. Her action driven by both her disgust and surprise at what he had done. She began to walk out of the house but before she did turned back around to face him.

" …That….didn't mean anything to me…" she said coming closer to tears "...you don't mean anything to me…I don't wanna see you, I don't wanna talk to you, I don't wanna know you…goodbye" And with that she turned and left Jesse standing there alone, surrounded by strangers who gave him looks that he wouldn't forget.

Tears began to stream down his face as he stared blankly at the door. He sunk to his knees and looked down at the floor, humiliation and shame the cause of his collapse. Those who had been watching him before had gone back to their drinking, they'd moved on past the unimportant dramas of two high schooler's who they wouldn't remember in the morning. The party continued, the music went back to its usual loudness, people returned to their usual rowdiness, and no one noticed Jesse slip out the door and into the night. Nobody noticed how fast he ran away from that house. Nobody knew what he was thinking and nobody knew where he was going…and neither did he.


	19. Chapter 18: Out in the Storm

Tanner woke up later that night to the sound of a storm not to far off in the distance. He shifted over on his side to face a small alarm clock resting on Cali's night table next to her bed. It was one thirty, and the house was quiet. As he lay back down, he brushed up against Cali who was sleeping soundly beside him. He smiled at how peacefully she slept, her golden strands of hair covering the pillows beside him. She looked so beautiful laying there, he didn't want to leave her, but then concerns of Jesse crossed his mind and he realized that he should at the least go home and check on him. He leaned over and kissed her just before he got up to leave. He reached down to the floor and slipped into his boxers, then rummaged around in the dark in search of his jeans. He stumbled across them over by the bathroom door, put them on and left the room as quietly as he could.

On his way down the hall he tripped over a couple of beer bottles skewed across the floor, and realized just how much cleaning he and Cali were going to have to do in the morning. Before he went down the stairs, he walked over to Jen's room to check in on her. He had only heard from friends about the argument between her and Jesse earlier on that evening. Around that time, he and Cali had been preoccupied, so they had no idea about the extent of the argument between Jesse and Jen. It was Riley (one of Tanner's close friends who had seen the fight) who explained to Cali and Tanner what exactly had happened between the two. Apparently, Jen came back to the house not too long after she had left looking for Jesse so that she could apologize, but she wasn't able find him. No one was really sure where she went after that, Riley said that she looked pretty disgusted with all the drunk kids everywhere, so she went upstairs and locked herself in her room until the party was over. Tanner still feeling a bit concerned from the stories poked his head in the door of her room, to find her sleeping quietly in her bed.

Seeing that she was alright, Tanner closed the door and continued his way downstairs.

He left the house and sprinted as fast as he could back to his own. The weather was horrendous outside. The wind was blowing relentlessly causing the palm trees to sway threateningly back and forth over near by houses in the neighborhood. The rain fell hard and fast on the ground forming little rivers in the streets. Lightening bolted across the sky turning the world below it black and white for seconds at a time. By the time Tanner got to his doorstep he was soaked through his shoes. Once he got inside, he took off his shirt and shoes and ran upstairs to Jesse's room. He opened the door quietly and looked over in the direction of Jesse's bed which was empty. Tanner stepped into the room, looked around, and saw no sign of his brother.

"Jess?" Tanner called out into the hallway.

He went from room to room looking for him but found no one. With each empty room he passed the more nervous he became. Tanner came to the horrifying realization that Jesse wasn't home. He immediately ran back downstairs, picked up the phone and called Cali's house.

"Please pick up…" he breathed into the phone. After 4 rings Tanner was relieved to hear the sound of Cali's voice on the other end of the line.

"Hello?" she said groggily.

" Cali, I can't find Jess anywhere…" he said breathlessly.

"What?" she said sounding more concerned.

"He's not here, I don't know where he is…please go wake Jen up this is serious and she's the only one who would know where he might be." He said worriedly.

"Okay hold on…" Cali put down the phone and ran down the hallway to Jen's room. She walked over to her bed and shook her.

"Jen, Jen wake up, Jesse's not home and no one knows where he is. Tanner's on the phone and he wants to talk to you." Cali began. Jen rubbed her eyes and looked around only beginning to realize how serious the situation was.

"You mean he didn't go home earlier? When I left him I figured he would have just gone back to his house after the party." She replied.

"He didn't and there's a horrible storm outside tonight and I just pray he's not out there." Cali said as her and Jen walked hurriedly down the hallway.

"Hello?" Jen said as she picked up the phone.

"Jen, do you have any idea of where Jesse went after your argument…" Jen paused for a minute realizing that she might be the reason why he wasn't home that night. Despite what he had done, she had really hurt him with some of the things she said, and only now realized that if she could take them back she could have him back.

"Jen?" Tanner continued.

"Ah, no, I really don't know…this is my fault…" Jen said beginning to cry.

"…No don't say that, okay? Right now all we need to worry about is finding my little brother." Tanner said sounding panicked.

"Wait, Tanner I think if we go out to the beach we might find him there, it's the only place he could go within 5 miles of here." Cali said.

"You're right." Tanner replied. " Listen I'll be over there in 2 minutes, you guys grab coats and flashlights, Cali bring your cell with you. I'll be right over."

Meanwhile, somewhere out in the storm, a dark figure stumbled along the beach. The wind was blowing so fiercely that seemingly harmless grains of sand became projectiles which scratched and burned his half covered legs. Jesse could barely see in front of him. Freezing rain pelted down on his back making each breath he took more painful. He knew he needed to find shelter or he would surely freeze out in this weather. He then began moving towards a small opening towards the top of a rock face not far off in the distance. Once he reached it, he realized he would have to climb up the rain soaked rocks a few feet to reach the small opening. As he began to climb the rain and wind became more violent and threatened to knock him off the rocks at any minute. He reached up for a seemingly stable rock above him and continued climbing. Just as soon as he shifted his weight over to that rock, it without warning became loose in his grip. The sudden movement in the rocks threw him off balance. Jesse lost his footing, and frantically reached out for something to hold onto but the rocks were so wet they only slipped out of his reach. He fell…pain paralyzed every muscle his body. He lay there helpless hoping that someone would find him lying there, amidst the anger of the storm.

Cali, Tanner, and Jen walked along the beginnings of the beach closest to where they lived. Each of them called out frantically for Jesse hoping to hear his reply but heard none and continued their search. Jen stopped and looked out at the ocean, a new fear overcoming her, the thought that he could be out there began to frighten her. The three continued to walk down the beach, all hoping and dreading the moment when they would stumble across Jesse.

Not to far off from them, Jesse lay motionless in the sand. He was suddenly awakened by a wave from the incoming tide washing across his body. As he became more conscious, his head began throbbing, he looked around and everything was blurry. Something wasn't right. When he tried to get up but he couldn't. He continued to try to move himself away from the water but when he shifted his weight to his left arm, he screamed out in pain. He had never felt anything this intense before. He sunk back down into the sand, trying not to move, but the pain became so extreme that he began drifting in and out of consciousness. He called out into the dark hoping that someone would hear him, but his cries were only carried down the beach by the wind.

"Tanner, Cali I think I heard something!" Jen exclaimed as she headed over towards a rock face not far from where they were looking. Jen sprinted over to the rocks where she found Jesse laying there half-coconscious. She immediately took off her coat and covered him with it.

"Oh G-d Jesse what happened…" she said her voice trembling. He languidly turned to face her, his eyes half opened.

"….I…I'm s…sorry…I…didn't mean to hurt...anyone…" he managed to mumble before he wavered back into unconsciousness. Jen took his hand in hers.

"You're gunna be okay, just stay with me Jesse…I'm right here..." Jesse smiled at her and then closed his eyes. Jen felt a new wave of panic, as Jesse's grip loosened from hers.

"Tanner! Cali! Please he's here! Please hurry we need to call and ambulance!" Tanner and Cali ran over as fast as they could and both sat down next to Jesse.

"Tanner what's wrong with him! He stopped moving we have to do something!" Jen asked fearfully. Tanner looked down at Jesse's arm which seemed to be awkwardly positioned.

"I…I think he's dislocated his shoulder, my Dad told me how to relocate it but you guys are going to have to help me, Jen I need you to take hold of his other hand, and Cali I need you to call an ambulance." Tanner said authoritatively. Cali immediately flipped open her phone and dialed the paramedics, while Jen continued to keep Jesse calm. Tanner took off his shirt and tore it into strips so that he had something he could wrap Jesse's arm with.

"Ok, Jen you need to hold him still and keep him calm, he's not gunna like this." Tanner said as he took hold of Jesse's arm.

"stop…it hurts…" Jesse groaned.

"Listen to me Jess, this is gunna be painful for a second but we have to do this okay bro?" Jesse shook his head back and forth.

"No…I don't wanna do this…Jen tell him I'm fine…I don't need him to help me…" Jen took his hand in hers.

"Listen to me Jess, we need to do this, you've really hurt yourself, and if you don't let Tanner help you, things aren't going to get better. Just hold my hand and squeeze as tight as you can okay?" she said quietly.

"…don't let him please …" he replied sobbing. Jen stroked his forehead.

"Shh…its gunna be fine." She said calmingly. Tanner looked up at Jen and nodded.

"Are you ready?" he said assuredly.

"Yea…" Jen said holding onto Jesse's hand as tightly as she could.

"One, two, three…" Tanner twisted Jesse's arm around then pushed it back into place. Jesse let out a piercing scream and squeezed Jen's hand as tightly as he could. He kicked his feet and tried to get away from Tanner but Tanner held him down, and continued bandaging Jesse's arm now that it was back in position. Jen couldn't bear to see Jesse in so much pain but she knew it was the only way they could help him. Jesse cried out as loud as he could begging Tanner to let him go.

"…please…please don't let him do this to me…I'm sorry…I promise I won't hurt anyone anymore please just make him stop…please" Jen leaned over and kissed Jesse's forehead, her own tears falling upon his face.

"Shh…its ok he's all done…you're going to be fine…" Jesse's cries became softer as the pain in his shoulder began to lessen. He placed his head in Jen's lap and let her hold him just before he slipped back into unconsciousness. Suddenly, Cali noticed flashing blue and red lights approaching them. As soon as the ambulance arrived, Cali went and signaled the paramedics and they immediately rushed over to Jesse. They lifted him up onto a stretcher, and took him into the ambulance. Jen went along with Jesse, while Cali and Tanner walked back to Tanner's car then followed the ambulance close behind.

Jen sat quietly next to Jesse on the way to the hospital, holding his hand tightly in hers the entire way. For the brief time that Jesse was awake he turned and looked over at Jen.

"…thank you for being here…" he said softly.

"…anytime…"she replied as she watched his eyes, which had turned a distant cloudy green, close.


	20. Chapter 19: ER

Jesse woke up the next morning to a cold, sharp jolt of pain in the side of his arm. He sat up abruptly and pulled away from who or whatever was hurting him.

"Young man, I'm going to need you to be still." Said an unfamiliar authoritative voice. Jesse's vision was a little blurry but once he rubbed the sleep from his eyes he turned to face the white coated stranger who stood beside him.

"Who are you?" he said angrily, while rubbing the tender area on his arm where the pain was coming from.

"I'm Stacey, your nurse and I'm going to need your arm back." She said sternly while filling a uncomfortably sized syringe with serum.

"Why? I don't know you!" he retorted.

"I wasn't asking for a relationship, now give me your arm, you're due for a shot this morning." She said becoming increasingly impatient with Jesse's 6 AM attitude.

"…as in needles? I don't do needles. And who says I have to do what you say, Tracey!" Jesse snapped.

"Excuse me, but it's Stacey and if you don't get this over with you're gunna be in a lot more pain later! Now you hush your mouth and give me your arm!" she shouted.

"NO!" Jesse said while slapping her hands away from him. She continually tried to get near Jesse but every time she did he responded with kicking or shouting. The nurse, who was growing tired of fighting with him, reached down and pushed an assistance button on the side of Jesse's hospital bed. Seconds later, two male med techs rushed into the room and took hold of Jesse's arms.

"Get off me! I said no shots!" he shouted loud enough to have woken up his entire wing of the hospital. The two men finally pinned him down and the nurse, taking full advantage of her opportunity, quickly inserted the needle into Jesse's arm then ordered the two techs out of the room.

"See that wasn't so bad…" she said snidely. Jesse growled at her.

"Hmph, you really are a little grouch aren't you?" she said with her arms crossed.

"I'll show you grouchy…" Jesse mumbled under his breath.

"Did you say something deary, I couldn't hear you, speak up." She pried.

"I didn't say anything, you're hallucinating, I guess all this hospital gets to you after your whole life!" he said rudely.

"Oh my goodness, Lord help the next person who has to deal with you! Now what kind of band aid do you want?" she asked.

"…um I don't care?" Jesse replied.

"Okay then I'll pick one for you, the one I think suits you best!" she said cheerfully. Jesse rolled his eyes.

"There!" she said while slapping the tiny pink band-aid onto his arm. He winced.

"Powerpuff girls! My 3 year old loves them, I think you and her would have a lot in common. Have a good day!" she said sweetly as she walked out the door.

"Yea and don't come back!" Jesse yelled after her. After a few minutes of staring at the sickening floral patters on the wall Jesse couldn't take being in the hospital anymore.

"What's a guy supposed to do around here for fun anyways…" he said to himself while looking around the room for the TV remote. He found it lying halfway across the room on a small table overtop of some magazines. As he got up he realized he was attached to an IV, and that if he wanted to go anywhere it was coming to. He jumped out of bed, forgetting how sick he really was, only to experience a wave of dizziness and nausea overcome him. Jesse stumbled backwards a few steps. "Woah…maybe I'll watch tv later…" Jesse mumbled as he retreated back into his bed. He still was fairly sick, along with dislocating his shoulder, he also had a mild concussion, among a few cuts and bruises left on his legs from the fall.

He sat back down in his bed rethinking, the events from the night before. He needed to explain things to Jen but at this point considering that he had screwed things over for himself once again he had no idea where to start. How could he even be sure that she would listen? He had kissed her after all, the one kiss that was supposed to turn out being perfect, the kiss that was supposed to let her know how he really felt about her, had blown up in his face. He knew very well that the only reason why she had been there for him last night was because of this accident. If he hadn't gotten hurt she most likely still wouldn't want to see or talk to him again. He knew he had hurt Jen, and understood that he could have handled things much differently with Katie. That night he let Katie do what she wanted, he didn't fight back or make any effort to push her away. He wasn't thinking, and only now realized how stupid he had been. What's worse was that he knew as soon as he was out of the hospital, things would be different between him and Jen. He could never really have her back, and the sooner he forced himself to realize that, the easier things would be for him when the time came when he would lose her.

A few hours later, Jesse woke up to find himself surrounded by flowers, balloons, and the three people who mattered to him the most.

"Hey there squirt! How are ya feelin'? You had us worried crazy last night!" Tanner said as he ruffed Jesse's blonde shaggy hair.

"Yea, you really scared us Jess! But I'm glad to see you're doing okay." Cali added. Jesse looked up at the two and flashed them that cute quirky smile which he's famous for.

"Thanks for coming down to see me you guys. And thank you all for everything you did for me last night. I definitely wouldn't be here smiling at you if you guys hadn't been there for me when I need you. I also wanted to say I'm sorry for running off like that, I wasn't thinking and I promise I won't leave like that again." Jesse said quietly.

"Yea you better not!" Tanner said teasingly as he playfully punched Jesse in the side of his good arm.

"Ouch! Hello! Shot spot dude!" Jesse said while rubbing his arm where Tanner had hit him.

"Oh…sorry about that bro…nice band-aid by the way, real men where powerpuffs..." Tanner said sarcastically. Cali giggled.

"Shut up! Just because I'm injured doesn't mean I can't still kick your ass!" Jesse said threateningly.

"Yea? I'd like to see you try." Tanner joked.

"Well, I think someone wants to talk to you Jess, so I'll let you guys have some alone time, c'mon Tanner lets go down to the cafeteria and pick up some lunch. We'll be back soon!" Cali said as she took Tanner by the hand and led him out the door.

Jen stood in the corner of the room as far away from Jesse as she could be. She stared down at the floor, avoiding total eye contact with him. The room was quiet but the sound of an awkward silence rung loudly in both their ears. Jesse took a deep breath and started the conversation.

"Listen, Jen, yesterday I..."she cut him off.

"You what! Had us all worried sick about you!" she shouted. He said nothing. "Do you have any idea of what might have happened to you out there if we hadn't found you? Do you Jesse!" she said with tears streaming down her face.

"Of course I do!" Jesse yelled fighting back tears.

"I know more then anyone what could have happened to me! I've been there before Jen! This isn't the first time something's happened to me like this!" he cried. Jen was silent.

"You think I don't understand the consequences of my actions? I watched two of my friends die because of a stupid decision I made! Because I was to dumb to understand that the things that I do could hurt and even kill other people! Because I…" he could barely speak. Jen walked over to his bedside.

"…didn't care about anyone else but myself, and because of that I lost everything, my friends, my dad and moms trust, and this time I'm losing you..." he said sobbing. Jen reached over the sides of the bed and held Jesse in her arms, the both of them crying.

"…you're not gunna lose me Jess….I promise…" she said softly. She then leaned over towards Jesse and brushed the strands of blonde hair out of his eyes.

"Jen…I'm sor-"

Jesse shuddered when he unexpectedly felt Jen's lips land softly upon his. He immediately gave in to her, and kissed her back more passionately then he had their first time. She playfully nibbled on his bottom lip teasing him into prolonging the kiss. Jesse leaned closer towards her to deepen the kiss but she pulled away. He looked up at her confused.

"Come back here…" he whispered softly.

"…Jess we can't...not here at least…" she replied. He looked up into her eyes and bit his bottom lip and smiled slyly.

"What's that look for?" Jen asked feeling a bit confused by Jesse's expression.

"Oh nothing I…" Before Jesse was able to finish his sentence his eyes closed and he collapsed back down onto his pillow.

"Jesse? Jesse?" Jen began to panic as she couldn't seem figure out what was wrong. She leaned over towards him check and see if he was still breathing. The next thing she knew Jen found herself lost again in one of Jesse's kisses. Not to long afterwards, she pulled away. Jesse looked up at her grinning.

"Gotcha…" he said slyly.

"…very funny…" Jen replied. "Now get some sleep okay? You don't wanna have to hang around this place any longer then you have to." She said kindheartedly then kissed him on the forehead one last time before she left.

"Aw you're leaving already? Can't you stay a little bit longer? Five more minutes…" he pleaded, but before Jen could respond, Stacey along with Cali and Tanner arrived at the door.

"Excuse me, but right now Jesse's scheduled for an X-Ray, I'll have to take him down to radiology. Sorry to cut your meeting so short." Stacey said as she walked over to Jesse's bed.

"Radio whatever can wait a minute, I'm busy right now." Jesse replied angrily.

"Hey, listen short stuff you stop giving Stacey here a hard time, I heard about your little episode earlier and I'm not too happy about it, so behave yourself Jess, or else." Tanner warned.

" Yea whatever, but wait are you guys coming back later?" Jesse asked with his eyes solely focused on Jen.

"I don't think we're allowed to but we'll be back here first thing tomorrow. That's a promise." Cali answered.

"But…"

Stacy cut Jesse off mid-sentence. "I'm sorry but we're running a bit late, now if you'll excuse me…" she said to Cali and Tanner as and two other nurses entered the room. They lifted Jesse out of his bed onto another stretcher.

"I guess I'll see you guys later…" he said heartbroken as they wheeled his bed out of the room.

Cali, Jen, and Tanner all began making their way out of the hospital. As they walked down the white walled hallways over towards the elevators, they passed patients both younger and older then Jesse. Jen became increasingly uncomfortable with the very strong presence of sickness and the possibility of loss in a place like this. Tanner and Cali seemed mainly repulsed by the distinct and unforgettable smell of the hospital. The smell of white coats, and empty rooms, sterile instruments, and life monitoring machines. The smell of the delicate balance between life and death lingered ominously here and was strongest in the senses of outsiders. Upon finally reaching the elevator the three of them sat down on the floor once inside.

"I hate it here…" Tanner said quietly while looking down at the floor.

"Well at least it looks like they're taking good care of him." Cali said hoping to lighten up the mood a bit.

"When can we come back tomorrow?" Jen asked as she watched the numbers on the elevator screen descend.

"I think around 11:00, I promise I'll take you over first thing, I know he'll wanna see you again tomorrow." Cali replied.

"Yea…" Jen said solemnly. She couldn't help but feel the slightest bit uncomfortable with leaving Jesse alone in a place like this, but she had no choice, leaving him here was the only way he could get back home.

After Jesse's X-ray, a young female doctor came into his room to check up on him.

"Hi there, I'm doctor Anderson I'll be poking and prodding at you this evening." She said sarcastically.

"Hi…" Jesse said glumly.

"Well, if you don't mind I'm going to take a quick look at that shoulder of yours, just hold your arm still for me ok?" she said as she unbuttoned the top of his hospital gown.

"So when am I getting out of here doc?" Jesse asked groggily as the doctor examined him.

"Hmm, It looks like your brother did a decent job of relocating your shoulder, but you still have a slight concussion so we're gunna keep you here overnight and release you in the morning. Is that okay with you?" she said smiling.

"Yea! I mean…sure that's great, and that Stacey person had me thinking I was going to be here all week! So I can really go home tomorrow?" Jesse asked happily.

"Fraid' so, unless you wanna stay with us all week that is." She replied.

"Thanks but I think I wanna get home, I've got somebody waiting for me…"Jesse bit his bottom lip and smiled.

"Oh might it be that young girl who came in with you last night?" Jesse nodded.

"You had her worried sick, she stayed here pretty late last night just to make sure that you were ok." The doctor said. Jesse smiled warmly at the thought of her. "Okay Jesse you can pull your robe back on we're done." She said as she headed over towards the door.

"Hey um, before you go my shoulder's still a little sore can I get some ice?" Jesse asked as he tucked himself in.

"How about a please?" the doctor replied authoritatively.

"Please…" Jesse groaned.

"Alright I'll have Stacey bring you some…" Jesse's head shot up.

"No…that's okay I'll be fine! Really! I'm good…."he said panicked.

"No, no she's right down the hall, I'll get her." The doctor said as she left the room. A few minutes later, just as Dr.Anderson had promised, Stacey arrived at Jesse's door.

"Oh no…" he groaned.

"So, another happy meeting with my favorite patient…"she said sarcastically.

"Can I have my ice ?" Jesse growled.

"Yea, after you apologize for being so rude this morning?" she said with her hands placed on her hips.

"Why do you have to make everything difficult?" Jesse shouted.

"Why can't you say you're sorry?" she retorted.

"Because I'm not!" Jesse snapped.

"Well then I don't feel like bringing this ice over to you." She said holding the bag of ice over a near by trashcan.

"...fine….I…I…I'm sorry…" he mumbled.

"That's what I needed to hear, now here's your ice and get some rest, its lights out time for you." She said triumphantly, as she walked over to the door and turned out the lights.

"But its only 7:30!" Jesse shouted.

"Goodnight!" she said as she walked out the door.

"I hate hospitals…"Jesse said as he turned over and went to sleep.


	21. Chapter 20: Too Close For Comfort

The next morning, just as they had promised Jen and Cali came back to the hospital to take Jesse home. After a few minutes of waiting in the lobby, Jesse finally appeared out of the elevator with Stacey by his side. She wheeled him over to the front desk where Cali and Jen were waiting.

"Well here he is!" Stacey said cheerfully.

"You can let go now, I can walk ya know!" Jesse said rudely as he stepped out of his wheel chair. Stacey rolled her eyes.

"Well, Dr. Anderson says that he shouldn't strain himself too much over the next couple weeks, and to keep his shoulder iced, if it starts bothering him again he can reach her at this number…" she began as she handed Cali Dr.Anderson's business card.

"Thank you for taking such good care of him, I hope he wasn't too much trouble…" Cali said humbly.

"Oh it was no problem, he was well…um….I hope he has a speedy recovery, we wouldn't want to have to see him back here anytime soon." She said snidely.

"What was that Tracy?" Jesse shouted.

"It's Stacey!" she snapped.

"Whatever your name is, I'm going home now, Bu-bye!" Jesse said as he turned his back and walked out the door. Jen ran out after him while Cali stayed behind and settled things with Stacey.

Jen and Jesse walked outside the building. "I don't even know how to respond to that Jess." Jen said shaking her head.

"Then don't…" Jesse said as he took Jen in his arms and kissed her once again. After a few seconds, Jen pulled away.

"Woah there tiger, I didn't think you were this happy to see me…" Jen said blushing.

"…of course…I had to spend all yesterday without you…" Jesse said smiling.

"It was only a day, Jess…" she replied.

"That's a long time…" he said as he placed his arm around her waist.

"Let's go home already I'm starving! Hospital food will kill you faster then any injury you go in there with." Jesse said sarcastically. Jen laughed.

"You've got a point, but um when we get home can we talk?" Jen asked seriously.

"Yea, sure what's up? Are you okay?" Jesse asked worriedly.

"Yea I'm fine, I just wanna talk…" she said assuredly. Jesse was a bit confused as to what she was so anxious to talk about but right now all that mattered was that they were back together.

Not to long afterwards Cali came outside and got into the car. She pulled out of the hospital parking lot and started home. She sighed loudly and shook her head as she pulled up to a stoplight.

"Well Jesse I don't think you could have behaved any worse! That woman back there was pretty upset." Cali said disappointedly.

"Yea…I know…if you want I can call and apologize…" Jesse said feeling somewhat guilty about his behavior the night before. 'That's alright, I already did it for you." She replied.

"Thanks I owe you one Cal." He said while looking directly at her through the rear view mirror. She looked up at him and winked.

"Alright, I'll be sure to remember that." Cali said as she continued down the highway.

When they got home Cali took Jesse's things over to Tanner's house while Jen and Jesse went for a walk on the beach. A cool morning breeze blew down the Oceanside as Jen and Jesse walked hand and hand down the shore.

"It's beautiful out here this morning huh?" Jesse said as he gazed over the horizon.

"Yea…and you had me wondering if I was ever going to get to show you one of these sunrises again…I was really worried about you Jess.. …" Jen said quietly while watching the white capped waves break on the shore. Jesse stepped behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"… I really didn't mean to make you worry like that…and I'm sorry…I just don't wanna lose you…"Jesse said as he leaned in and kissed her hair.

"…I know and I promise you won't…but Jesse I've been meaning to ask you about something…" she began. Jesse became increasingly uncomfortable with the serious tone in her voice.

"…yea what did you wanna talk about?" he asked nervously.

"…your friends…back home…you mentioned them yesterday…and I…" Jen stopped herself not wanting to seem intrusive.

"…you don't need to worry about them…Its nothing…" he replied coldly as he stepped away from her and shoved his hands in his pockets.

"But…you…were really upset …" Jesse cut her off.

"Just drop it alright? It doesn't matter…" he snapped. Jen was startled by his sudden change in attitude, which was now no different then the one he'd had at the boardwalk. She looked into his eyes, and tried to find the warmth that had been there just a few moments before, but his stare remained cold and distant.

"Stop…" she said quietly.

Jesse's focus broke away from the ocean, and shifted over to her.

"…you're doing it again…you're pushing me out Jess…why won't you let me come close to you? I don't understand…"Jesse was silent. "Why you won't let me know you…?" she asked pleadingly. Jesse looked away from her.

"…because you won't like what you see…" he said quietly.

"What are you talking about?" she asked confused.

"…nothing…" he answered, shutting her out yet another time.

"Fine…just forget it...I'm gunna go, Cali will probably be wondering were I am…enjoy your sunrise…"she said harshly as she walked away from Jesse and headed up the beach. Jesse buried his face in his hands and sighed.

"…I can't tell her yet…I don't know how…" he said as he lifted his head up and watched the sun appear just above the ocean.

After having spent the morning on the beach, Jesse walked back to his house a few hours later for lunch. He walked inside to find Tanner sitting on the kitchen table looking threw a stack of Chinese Take-Out menu's.

"Hey Jess! Ya hungry? I'm kinda in the mood for Chinese how about you?" Tanner asked as he searched for the telephone number of his favorite restaurant.

"No, I'm alright…" Jesse said as he collapsed down on the living room couch.

"You sure? You look like you could use some Sushi! We can do Japanese if you want." He said.

"No its ok I'm not really feeling 100 yet…I kinda just wanna chill out on the couch for a while." Jesse said as he picked up the remote and began flipping through all 850 channels on his TV.

"That's fine, you're supposed to be taking it easy anyways. How's your shoulder feeling? You want me to get you some ice for it?" Tanner said as he got up and headed over to the freezer.

"Yea, thanks man…" Jesse said tiredly. Tanner brought over his bag of ice.

"Oh right I forgot to give you this, Jen stopped by earlier and left it for you. Looks like a love letter to me." Tanner said teasingly.

"Shut up and give me that." Jesse said snatching the envelope away from his brother.

"I'm going upstairs, wake me up when the sushi gets here." Jesse said while placing the small letter in his pocket and heading up the stairs.

Once he reached his room he sat down on his bed and opened the letter that Jen had given him. He started reading.

"…Jesse, I don't really know what's been on your mind lately but I wanted to tell you that I really care about you, and I want to know you and be there for you whenever you need me so if you want to talk later I'm all ears…get well soon...Jen…" Jesse's heart skipped a beat as he read the letter from her, and that's when he made his decision. Tonight was going to be all about her, starting with a box of chocolates, and a dozen roses.


	22. Chapter 21: Don't Play with Fireworks

Later that afternoon Jen was woken up by a tapping noise outside of her window. After a few minutes of debating whether or not to fully wake herself up and see what it was she finally got out of bed, walked over to the windowsill and looked outside. To her surprise she looked down to see Jesse standing there in the afternoon sunlight with a large heart shaped box of chocolates under his arm, and a bouquet of roses in his hand. Before she was able to say anything Jesse started singing,

"Oh I say, thinking about you always, sayin' I don't, want it to be different, by the way, liking it where I'm standin', and I won't, move unless you force me to, oh everyday something about you changes it's a show, livin' for the moment, if I may, I wanna be there to see you, but I know, you're keepin' here for fun, don't you leave me, oh cuz I will never let you go, don't you leave me, don't you go…" he began.

Jen loved it when he sang and couldn't help but swoon at the sound of his voice. She also couldn't get over how unbelievably romantic Jesse was, maybe she had been wrong about him after all. Here he was standing outside her window with a box of chocolates and a dozen roses, and as he continued to sing she found it increasingly difficult to stay angry at him.

"Don't you leave me, cuz I will never let you go…" he sang softly as his heartfelt love song came to an end. Jesse bit his bottom lip and smiled as he saw the warmth and kindness in Jen's eyes return.

"Alright pop star I think I can forgive you, but just this once…or you're going to have to really impress me next time…" Jen said laughing. Jesse grinned.

"Come out with me… I have something I wanna show you…" he began.

"I can't, I promised Sophie I'd help her redecorate her room." She replied. He pouted.

"Please…I promise you'll like it" he whined. Jen sighed.

"Fine but if she's mad at me later I'm blaming you." Jen remarked as she picked up her purse from the table beside her.

"Awesome! But hurry up, it'll be dark soon, and we don't wanna be late for this…" Jesse said impatiently.

"Be late for what?" Jen asked.

"Now if I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise… " He replied mischievously.

"Okay I'll be right down…wait, should I be dressed up for this?" Jen asked excitedly.

"No…not really…I don't know just wear clothes…" Jesse said unhelpfully.

"Right…I'll see you in five." Jen said as she headed over towards her dresser to pick out an outfit for the evening.

Just as she had promised, Jen met Jesse outside her front door no more then five minutes later.

"Ready?" Jesse asked as he pulled out the keys to Tanner's car.

"Yea…but Tanner let you use his car?" Jen said skeptically.

"…well…kinda…let's just get outta here!" Jesse said excitedly as he took her hand in his and ran over to the car. When they got inside Jesse turned on The Postal Service's "Such Great Heights" full blast. Jen smiled at the how perfectly the song fit the start of their evening. As they drove down the highway Jesse pointed out the sun setting over the ocean. Jen leaned her head up against the window and marveled at the sun's reflection on the water. "Wow…" she said in almost a whisper as they drove parallel to the ocean.

"It's pretty gorgeous isn't it." Jesse added while tapping his fingers on the steering wheel to the upbeat rhythm of the song.

"Yea definitely…" Jen replied, still staring out over the ocean.

"…This is…beautiful Jess, thank you…" Jen said contentedly.

"Hey its not over yet! This is just the beginning!" he said excitedly.

"Oh hold on! I just remembered something!" Jesse said as he pulled into a scenic area off of the highway. He jumped out of the car, ran around to the back, and began looking through his things. Jen didn't seem to mind as she continued to watch the gold tinted waves work their way towards the beach with the incoming tide. Seconds later Jesse came back around the front seat of the car.

"Hey Jen!" he said quietly. As soon as she turned to face him, she squinted at a bright flash that came from the tiny digital camera Jesse was holding in his hands. "Jess…" she whined.

"What?" he asked confused.

"I hate pictures…" she said trying to hide a smile.

"Whatever…secretly you know you like getting your picture taken." He said slyly.

"Secretly I hate you for taking random horrible pictures of me!" she retorted.

"Secretly you I know love me for taking pictures of a beautiful girl…" Jesse said smiling.

"Ah Don't do that...it drives me nuts" Jen said blushing.

"Do what? Tell the truth? I'm sorry I can't help myself." He said as he leaned over and kissed her playfully on the cheek.

"Ew cooties…" Jen said in a third grade like tone. Jesse's eyes widened.

"…And there's more were that came from!" he said devilishly as he leaned over his seat once again and kissed his way up her neck. Being as ticklish as she was Jen laughed at the feel of Jesse's lips landing softly upon her body. She shuddered at his expertise; he knew exactly how to make crazy each time he kissed her. She loved everything he did, the way he'd tease her into kissing him back, and the way he'd make her feel like she was the most beautiful thing he'd ever laid eyes on when he pulled away. She loved being with him and wanted nothing more then for their time together to never end. After a few minutes of nonstop lip locking Jesse pulled away from Jen looked up at the digital clock on the dashboard.

"Oh shit! We're late! They've probably started already!" Jesse said panicked as he frantically searched through is pockets for the car keys.

"What do you mean?" Jen asked.

"You'll see…if we get there in time." Jesse said as he started the car and got back onto the highway.

Not to long afterwards, Jesse and Jen arrived back at the boardwalk where they had spent their first day together. Jesse took Jen by the hand and ran over to the pier where numerous brightly colored fireworks were lighting up the nighttime sky. The two of them stood at the edge of the pier and looked up at the floating and falling red, blue, and yellow sparks in the air above them. Jen leaned her head on Jesse's shoulder and gazed up at the fireworks. He placed his arm around her and pulled her in closer to him. He couldn't have been happier. He had wanted to hold her like this since the first moment he saw her, and now here she was in his arms, and nothing in the world could have persuaded him to let her go. As the fireworks came to an end, the amount of people on the pier lessened. Other couples walked off hand in hand towards the carnival lights, but Jesse and Jen stayed behind just watching the remaining fireworks disappear into the ocean.

"It's getting kinda late we should head back…" Jesse said quietly not wanting to break the mood.

"…yea its getting a little chilly too…" Jen said as she held her arms close.

"Hold on." he said as he headed over towards a nearby souvenir shop. He came back not more then five minutes later with a navy blue "Surf California" sweatshirt for her.

"Jess you really didn't have to…" she began.

"I wanted to…" He said smiling.

"Let's go home." Jen said softly as they both headed back to the car.

When they got back, Jesse pulled Tanner's car up to the front of his house and got out. He ran around the front of the car and opened the door for Jen.

"Excuse me miss, but would you allow me to walk you home?" Jesse asked politely.

"You may." Jen replied smiling. Jesse took her hand in his and walked her the last few blocks down the street to her house. When they reached her front door Jesse wrapped his arms around Jen.

"I had a really good time tonight…I hope you can forgive me for earlier…I was just…" Jen placed her finger over his lips.

"Shh…you talk to much…" she said teasingly as she leaned in and kissed him. Jesse once again gave into the passion of her kiss and pulled her in closer to him to deepen it. As she kissed him back, she suddenly felt his tongue slip into her mouth. She winced a bit at the newness of the feeling, but quickly relaxed into his closeness. Jesse gently pushed her up against the front door and moved his hands up the length of her body, leaving her with a slight tingling sensation where ever he touched her. Jen reached back behind her and felt around for the door knob which she slowly began to turn in her hand. She opened the door and pulled away from him. Jesse looked at her intently subtly asking for entrance, she nodded and he tiptoed quietly behind her up the stairs towards her room. Upon reaching their destination, Jen opened her door walked as softly inside as she possibly could with Jesse following her close behind. Once inside the two of them collapsed down on her bed among the multi colored pillows and plush stuffed animals. Jesse slowly kissed his way down her neck, just as he had earlier that night. Jen shifted her hips underneath his, causing him to let out a soft moan of pleasure. He then moved his hand further down towards the rim of her tank top and gently slipped his fingers underneath it. Jen suddenly began to feel more nervous then she had before as Jesse moved his hands higher up on her stomach. Suddenly images of Trevor and Bryan flashed in and out of her consciousness. "Its Jesse…he isn't going to hurt you…" she kept repeating to herself as she became more aware of how close Jesse's body was to hers. Meanwhile, Jesse, who was completely unaware of her nervousness started to unbutton the top of her jeans.

"…Jesse please…" she whispered silently.

He stopped at the sound of worry in her voice. He looked up into her eyes, and was shocked at the fearful reflection within them. He had never seen her this terrified before. She moved away from him and pulled a nearby blanket around her.

"…what's wrong…?" he asked feeling confused by her sudden evasive gesture.

"...I just…think you should go…" she said emotionlessly.

"…Jen…" Jesse managed to whisper, trying to ignore the hurt the emptiness in Jen's voice caused him. He reached over to try and comfort her, but she shied away from him. Jesse swallowed hard, and held back the tears which threatened him. He got up and walked slowly backwards towards the door, hoping that she would lift her eyes from the ground and look at him one last time before he left her, but she remained completely still. Unable to bare the distance between them any longer Jesse turned and stormed out the door, and shortly afterwards out of the house. The noise from Jesse's leaving was so loud that Cali, came down the hallway to Jen's room to see what was going on. "Jen are you ok? What was that?" she asked worriedly. Jen looked up at her completely void of any expression. "Nothing Cali…it probably was just the wind…"


	23. Chapter 22: An Unexpected Visitor

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	24. Chapter 23:I Shouldn't Want You but I Do

The next morning Jesse woke up alone in his room, still feeling hurt and heartbroken from the day before. He got up out of bed then headed over to his dresser to pick an outfit for the day. He threw on his favorite pair of faded Diesel jeans, and a black and orange hoodie then headed downstairs, where he found Cali and Tanner sitting together at the kitchen table going through a box of captain crunch.

"Good morning Jesse! Wanna join us for breakfast?" Cali asked cheerfully. "No not really, I'm gunna go for a walk…I'll see you guys later." Jesse said glumly as he continued his way out the door.

"Wow he seems a little down today…is he alright?" Cali asked concernedly.

"I don't know, last time I checked he said he still wasn't feeling very well since he got home from the hospital. I guess he just needs some time to get back on his feet ya know?" Tanner replied.

"Yea, I just hope that's all that's bothering him." Cali said still feeling a bit unsettled by Jesse's mood.

"I'm gunna get some OJ do you want any?" Tanner asked as he got up from the table and headed over towards the fridge. Before Cali could reply, Tanner heard the front doorbell ring.

"Weird..." Tanner said while looking down at his watch.

"…I wasn't expecting anyone today, wonder who that could be…" he said curiously as he made his way over to the front hall. He opened the door, and was so alarmed by what he saw that he nearly dropped the entire bottle of orange juice on the hardwood floor.

"Hi Tanner…I guess it really is a small world." said the stranger.

Tanner cringed at the sound of her sickeningly familiar voice. She hadn't changed a bit since he'd last seen her. And here he was more than halfway across the country in sunny California thinking that he'd never have to lay eyes her again, yet here she was standing with box of Tanner's favorite candies and a pinup smile at his doorstep. She looked up into his eyes with a water colored look of innocence painted across her face. Tanner saw right through it.

"What are you doing here?" he said coldly. The girl was taken aback by his harshness but still found the words and the courage to reply.

"…well…you certainly don't look too happy to see me, I would think that after all this time you'd at least have considered forgiving…" Tanner cut her off.

"I asked you a question…" he snapped. She swallowed hard, as she realized that she would find no sympathy or comfort in Tanner's voice.

"I was in the neighborhood and because my family's summer house isn't very far from here I thought I'd stop by…" she said quietly.

"Who told you I lived here?" Tanner inquired, making her more uncomfortable with each question he asked.

"My cousin…" she said timidly.

"Who's your cousin?" Tanner continued.

"A friend of yours…but listen I'm not here to start a fight with you, I just wanna talk…" she began.

"Talk?" he scoffed.

"About what? You sleeping with my brother? Cuz if you do I don't really wanna have this conversation." Tanner said furiously as he began to close the door on her. The girl stopped him.

"Look Tanner, I'm sorry about what happened between me and Jesse…I wasn't thinking…" she pleaded.

"The hell you weren't, but you know what, there's a still couple of weeks of summer left, maybe you should use that time to think about what you did…you never know maybe you'll finally come to terms with yourself…now get off my doorstep, we're done..." he said harshly as he turned and closed the door in her face.

The girl stood there in silence barely able to believe how cold Tanner had been towards her. She burst into tears then turned and ran as far away from the house as she could, towards the beach. She was so distraught by what Tanner had said to her that she didn't pay any mind to where she was going.

Suddenly Jesse felt something or someone run into him from behind. He turned around and found himself face to face with a familiar looking blonde haired girl about his age.

"Cassie?" Jesse said while taking a second look at her. She lifted her face from his chest and looked up at him then wiped the tears away from her eyes.

"Jesse…I'm sorry for running into you like that…I think I should go…" she said overdramatically. Jesse stopped her.

"Wait, how have you been? I…I haven't seen you for awhile…are you alright?" Jesse asked worriedly as he held her tenderly in his arms. Cassie smiled slightly at Jesse's concern, even after all this time she still had him exactly where she wanted.

"…I'm fine I guess…its just…a few minutes ago…I…walked over to your house to go apologize Tanner…you know, to try and fix things between us before he leaves for college…and he…he wouldn't even listen what I had to say…he just told me that he never wanted to see me again…I just don't understand him Jesse…I was only trying to be nice…" she said sobbing. Jesse hugged her.

"...I'm really sorry Cass, don't get him wrong, he's just mad at me…mad at us for what we did…but even so, he shouldn't treat you like that…and I'm sorry I wasn't there to stand up for you…" Jesse said as he held her even closer to him. Cassie laughed softly to herself.

"…Its good to see you haven't changed a bit since I last saw you Jess….except for that tan of course! You're lookin like a California boy already!" she said teasingly. Jesse laughed.

"Yea I guess, its pretty awesome out here..." he said seeming distracted as he looked out over the ocean.

"Well I just got here this morning with my parents, they dragged me all the way to Malibu to the new summerhouse…" she complained.

"You talk about coming out here like it's a bad thing or something…"Jesse replied.

"I wanted to goto the Bahamas with my friends…" she said snobbishly. Jesse laughed.

"I see your still as spoiled as ever…" Jesse joked.

"I see your still as cute as ever…so did you end up finding yourself a girlfriend out here?" she inquired.

Jesse looked away from Cassie, the thought of Jen as his girlfriend briefly crossed his mind but when he remembered all that had happened between them the night before all he could manage to say was,

"…almost…"

Cassie rolled her eyes, "Almost?" she snickered, "What is that supposed to mean? Sounds more like a no to me…"she said rudely. Jesse stepped away from her and sat down in the sand.

"I don't wanna talk about it…" he said quietly.

"Hey...don't get yourself all tied up in a knot over this, its just a girl right?" she said hoping to lift Jesse's spirits a little. He shrugged.

"I guess…"he said still feeling a bit confused about the current standing of his relationship with Jen.

"Listen, you look like you could use some cheering up, so why don't you come out with me tonight?" she said flirtatiously hoping to spark Jesse's interest.

"I don't know…" Jesse said still contemplating what he should do.

"Come on Jess! Since when were you one to turn down a good time?" Cassie pointed out. She was right, Jesse usually would never pass up an opportunity to go out with his friends and forget about his problems, but things were different now, and considering what he had been through the past few months, he had every right to think twice about her offer.

"Please…" she pleaded while giving Jesse her infamous puppy face. He couldn't resist that face, whenever she did that back home the two of them always ended up hooking up or worse. Jesse bit down hard on his bottom lip, why was he so attracted to her ? He hadn't seen Cassie for months but here she was lying down next to him and he was ready to pick things up right where they left off last time he was with her. But even though Cassie had his immediate attention, he couldn't stop thinking about Jen. He cared for her too much to simply let her go.

"Look, Cassie I kinda met someone, and she really is important to me so I don't think…" she cut him off mid-sentence.

"C'mon Jesse, do it for old times sake..."she said seductively. Jesse sighed.

"Okay, okay, when can I meet you?" he said as he helped her up from the ground.

"7:00, I'll pick you up at your place, just make sure Tanner doesn't notice…he'd totally freak out if he knew…"she warned.

"Yea…I kinda wanna live to see my next birthday…" Jesse said laughing.

"Alright then I'll see you at seven." She said as she turned and walked up the hill towards her car.

"Seven it is…" Jesse said as he headed back towards home.


	25. Chapter 24: Ex Marks The Spot

When seven o'clock rolled round, Jesse quietly made his way down stairs and snuck out the back door. As soon as he was outside he sprinted over to Cassie's car which was parked a little ways down the street. She flashed her headlights at Jesse as he approached her, and signaled him to get in from behind the wheel. Jesse sat down next to Cassie and shook his hair out of his eyes.

"Hey…" he said flirtatiously. Cassie smiled slyly as she caught a glimpse of the bad boy she knew him to be back home breifly reappear.

"Hey yourself…" she replied sarcastically as she drove towards the highway.

"So where did you wanna go tonight?" Jesse asked as he looked through a case of Cassie's CDs.

"Just this little place in town where my cousins like to hang out, its cool they know the owner and everything." Cassie replied.

"Alright, sounds like a plan." Jesse said while placing a mix into Cassie's CD player.

"I love this song…" he said anxiously as he skipped to track ten.

"Which one is it?" she asked while skillfully reapplying her lip gloss as she drove. Cassie's question was soon answered when she heard Craig David's "Fill me in" begin to play. She smiled.

"Wow Jess, If I didn't know any better I'd say this song was written about us." She said teasingly.

"Yea maybe two months ago…" He replied.

"Why not now?" she said flirtatiously. Jesse glared at her.

"Look I already told you I'm with someone…" he said irritably.

"So where is she then?" Cassie pried.

"I…don't know…at home or something…why does it matter so much to you anyway?" he replied angrily.

"It doesn't I just like messing with you…" she said with a smirk on her face. "But seriously, you seem a little on edge about things between you and her…are you guys okay?" she asked seeming concerned.

"…I don't know…lately things have been…kinda…difficult…." Jesse said solemnly.

"What do you mean?" she asked. Jesse sighed.

"She's just been really confusing…its like… every time I try to get close to her…she just…" Jesse stopped himself.

"…chickens out right?" Cassie sneered.

"No…its not that all…I just think I pushed her too far, and now I don't even know how to get back to her…things are just really messed up right now…" Jesse said as he looked out his window at the highway lights.

" Listen Jess, just forget about this whole deal with her, and relax and have a good time! We're back together tonight and that's all that matters." She said contentedly.

"…Yea, it wouldn't be fair if I didn't have a good time while I was with you…" he replied as they pulled into a street lamp lit parking lot outside a large building. Cassie pulled into a spot closest to the back entrance.

"Where are we?" Jesse asked.

"You'll see." She said as she got out of the car and lead Jesse inside, what Jesse later would discover was Fletcher's Bar, the one place he had worked all summer to avoid.

Cassie took Jesse by the hand and led him over to the bar, where she waved at three older looking guys who shouted over to her. Jesse frantically looked around for the nearest door as he realized that Cassie had taken him to the last place he wanted to be. He called out to Cassie ahead of him, but his voice was drowned out by the loudness of the music. Cassie weaved her way through the crowd until she reached a set of stairs leading away from the dance floor to a neon lighted bar where her friends were waiting for her. Jesse reached over and placed his hand on Cassie's shoulder.

"Cassie, I think I'm gunna go...I shouldn't be here!" He said loudly.

"What did you say? I can't hear you Jess! Anyways I want you to meet some people, follow me!" she shouted back, then took Jesse's hand in hers and continued towards the bar. Jesse forced a smile and unwillingly followed her. As Cassie approached the bar, the tallest of three guys got up and hugged her. Cassie ran into his arms, squealing in a high pitched girly voice as he hugged her.

"Trev!" she exclaimed.

Jesse stood awkwardly distanced from the three guys and Cassie while they laughed and talked amongst themselves. After a few minutes of conversation, Cassie turned around to Jesse and pulled him over next to her.

"Guys I want you to meet my ex Jesse, Jesse this is Sam, Conner and my cousin Trevor." Jesse's face went blank. Why Cassie just call him her ex-boyfriend? In his mind they'd just hooked up for the wrong reasons, it never was anything serious…or at least that's what he thought. And what were the odds that Trevor of all people was her cousin? He could already tell this was going to be a bad night. He stared emptily at Trevor who returned his gaze but seemed unable to properly focus on glaring at Jesse. Jesse looked at the large purple bruise on the top of Trevor's nose that might as well have had "Jesse Was Here" written all over it. At first he didn't quite realize why Trevor didn't immediately knock out his two front teeth, but then noticed that Trevor was way to drunk to stand up straight much less throw punches.

"So Jesse…are you really with my cousin?" Trevor asked suddenly.

"Uh…." Jesse hesitated as the thought of Jen crossed his mind.

"Me and Cassie? Haha no! We might have had a thing a while back…but we never really were together...we've always been just friends…" he said smirking. Cassie glared at Jesse as if what he said had hurt her. Trevor who had somehow picked up on this reached out and grabbed Jesse by the collar.

"You sure about that?" Jesse cringed at the smell of Trevor's breath.

"…whatever man…I told you we're just friends…" Jesse replied honestly.

"Good…cuz I wouldn't have let a punk ass pretty boy like you go out with her anyway…" he said snidely.

"What did you say!" Jesse said angrily.

"Did I stutter? Pretty boy! Huh?" Trevor shouted. Before either one of them could throw the first punch Cassie stepped in between the two.

"Guys! Chill out? You don't even know each other!" she said loudly while struggling to push Jesse and Trevor apart.

"I know him well enough…" Jesse said under his breath.

" I don't know what's going on between you two but I'm here to have a good time…so settle this like men…" Cassie began. Jesse and Trevor both turned and looked at her. Cassie walked over to the bar and ordered ten shots of vodka for each of them. She pulled out two stools for Jesse and Trevor and motioned to them.

"Now we'll see who the real pretty boy is… Trevor you think can you handle this?" she said to him.

"No problem, I bet this loser's a straight edge if anything…haha typical." He snarled. Jesse was silent while Trevor and his friends continued to mock him. Cassie gave Jesse a confused look.

"What's wrong? Are you seriously gunna punk out? What's happened to you Jess?" she said. Jesse didn't look at her. Trevor laughed even louder then before.

"Ha! I told you he's just a p…" Jesse interrupted him.

"I'll take the first shot…" he said quietly.

"That's more like it!" Cassie exclaimed. Jesse grabbed her by the wrist before reaching for his shot glass.

"Promise me you won't tell Tanner about this…you know I can't go home if I'm messed up…please!" he said looking directly at her.

"Y-Yea…I promise…you can come back to my place if things get too crazy…I know Tanner hates me...but I can tell him you and Trevor patched things up and that he let you stay at our house for the night…okay?" she said smiling.

"…Yea thanks Cassie…I definitely owe you one…" he said trying to block out the sound of his conscious screaming at him.

"I know…" she said as she pulled up a chair and sat next to him.

"Alright pretty boy lets see what you've got!" Trevor shouted as he and Jesse began to empty their shot glasses one after the other.

Cassie and the rest of the world blurred in and out of focus as Jesse downed his 7th shot of vodka that night. He hadn't had a drink in nearly two months and now that Cassie was around to bring out the bad boy in him he felt no reason to hold back. Trevor fell out of his chair before even trying to top Jesse's 7th glass. His three cronies glared at Jesse then carried Trevor over to the lounge where they threw him on a tattered leather couch. Trevor's friend Sam came back over to Jesse before returning to Trevor's side.

"Looks like your not so much of a punk after all…kudos dork." He said, then gave Jesse a friendly punch to the shoulder and walked back to the lounge. Jesse smiled idiotically then looked over at Cassie.

"Wanna dance…" he said while blatantly checking her out .Cassie smiled as she picked up on Jesse's sudden attraction to her.

"Yea…C'mon…" Cassie said as she took him by the hand and led him to the dance floor, knowing full well that tonight he was hers and that nobody could get in between them.

Jesse stumbled after her neither knowing nor caring where he was going. He quickly gave into the fast paced rhythms of the music and pulled Cassie in towards him. Cassie seductively moved her hips up against Jesse while he moved his hands up the length of her body. He felt incredible, almost as though nothing could touch him, he'd nearly forgotten just how easily a few drinks could make him stop caring. He didn't have to worry about Cali or Tanner or anyone tonight, he was doing exactly what he wanted, maybe for the first time that summer and nobody could stop him. Jesse loved the feel of Cassie's body up against his. He loved the way she knew exactly how to get his attention every time they danced together. He spun her around and looked right into her eyes. Cassie wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned in towards him. Jesse felt the intense rush of blood running through his veins as Cassie pressed her lips firmly against his. He kissed her back with equal passion enjoying every moment of her. Jesse gave into the heat of the moment and let his hands wander. Cassie let out a soft moan as she felt Jesse tracing the outline of her body. Cassie smirked, she admired how he was so irresistible yet easily manipulated. She loved how quickly he fell out of love with that other girl and back into her arms as soon as he had a few shots in him. He clearly hadn't changed since the last time she'd seen him. Cassie who was enjoying her sudden sense of control over him, briefly pulled away and placed her fingers over his lips. Jesse looked down at her.

"Cassie…" he whispered.

"Shh lets go…" she said as she turned and headed towards the back door. Jesse watched her walk away for a bit then followed her outside. Cassie reached into the back pocket of her short jean skirt and pulled out her keys. Before she was able to unlock the car, Jesse pushed her up against it and picked up where he left off back in the bar. Cassie could tell that after seven shots of absolute Jesse was after much more then just a make out session. She held him back denying his drunken ambitions a little longer.

"Wanna go home?" she whispered enticingly into his ear.

"…yea…" he said leaning up against her.

"Lets do it cowboy…" she said grinning, then kissed her way down his neck and stepped into the car.

Upon reaching her house, Cassie snuck Jesse inside, lead him upstairs to her bedroom and closed the door behind her. Jesse grinned as Cassie took off her shirt and stretched herself out on her bed. She motioned to him and Jesse walked unsteadily towards her. He threw off his shirt then climbed on top of her. Cassie kissed him again and again, further reminding herself of just how good Jesse was. He leaned over and whispered something softly to her.

"Déjà vu?" he said in a slurred French accent.

"You're so hott when you talk like that…" she said as she reached down and slowly undid his belt.

"…Really?" Jesse said as he worked Cassie out of her skirt.

"..Really, really…" she replied while kicking her way out of her Seven's. Cassie knew she was getting her way, she could feel how turned on he was. She took advantage of the moment and pressed her chest firmly up against Jesse's body. He moaned. Cassie pressed Jesse's lips against hers, eased her tongue into his mouth, and slowly began to slide off his boxers. Then almost as though he had been woken up from a dream, Jesse briefly became aware of what was going on. He suddenly lost his focus, and for the first time that night he felt ridiculously unsure of himself. "What was happening?" he thought. Cassie picked up on Jesse's sudden indecisiveness and figured she'd better get his full attention before he passed out or punk'd out on her. She slowly began ease Jesse down on top of her. She bit down on her bottom lip when she felt him inside of her for the second time. Jesse's breathing quickened as he only just realized what he was doing. He only half understood that there was something very wrong about what was going on, unfortunately his body said otherwise. Cassie shifted her hips underneath him again making him breath even faster then he had before.

"Cassie I…" he mumbled in between breaths. She ignored him.

"…don't……" he whispered but she hushed him once again by seducing him into another one of her kisses.

Cassie was now reassured by the fact that she had gotten him into a position where he couldn't possibly change his mind. Jesse bit down hard on his bottom lip. He didn't want to do this but he couldn't help himself, his mind was in no condition to make good or accurate decisions, and at this point his body was calling the shots. Cassie could now hear how fast Jesse's heart was beating…he was nervous but she didn't care. She brushed her hand along the side of his face, pretending to be mildly concerned about him.

"Don't be scared Jess…this is just like old times…just relax baby…relax..." she whispered. Jesse couldn't hold back any longer. "Oh G-d…"He let out a soft moan as he gave into her. Every muscle in his body tightened then slowly relaxed along with hers. Cassie then collapsed down next to him on her bed. His cheeks were flushed but his breathing slowed back to its normal pace. Cassie grinned, knowing she'd gotten what she came all the way to California for. She never had any intention of apologizing to Tanner, her little "I'm hurt and heartbroken" episode was a set up to get back to Jesse. Ever since she'd heard about Jesse's new love interest from Trevor in a long IM conversation a few weeks before, she'd been planning on how to get Jesse back. She remembered the day he left for California at the beginning of the summer. She hated how uncaring he was, how he acted like everything they'd done didn't matter. She'd given her virginity to him and he had the nerve to tell her it was all a mistake that "sleeping around behind his brother's back just to get even wasn't worth it". No one never even tried to realize that the reason why she cheated on Tanner was because she really was in love with Jesse. Jesse didn't take the time to try and feel anything for her, he wasn't even sober enough in the morning to remember what he'd done. She hated him for that but could seem to deny the way she really felt about him. After Jesse left, her friends tried to convince her that his accident was the reason why he treated her the way he did, but despite the truth in the statement Cassie wasn't about to accept that excuse. He'd gotten the best of her and then walked out, but this time she wasn't about to let it happen again. This time she was the heartbreaker.

For the sake of total self-satisfaction Cassie leaned over an whispered something to Jesse, "I love you Jesse" she bluffed acting as though she really cared about him when all she was after was his love stricken response. "…I-I'm…so sorry…Jen…" Jesse whispered just before he passed out.


	26. Chapter 25: I Can't Even Say I'm Sorry

The next morning Jesse woke up sprawled out across Cassie's bedroom floor. He sat up slowly then looked around. The world blurred in and out of focus as he tried to find something familiar about his surroundings. The 7 or so shots of vodka from the night before had left him disoriented and hung over, and as he pieced together the fragments of what might have happened between him and Cassie the more anxious he became. His fears were confirmed when he looked and saw Cassie sleeping peacefully on her bed above him.

"Oh no..." He whispered to himself.

"What did I do…" he said as he buried his face in his hands. He was waiting for someone… anyone to pinch him and wake him up from the nightmare that he had involuntarily thrown himself into. He thought for a moment. Maybe they hadn't done anything serious. Maybe he had just crashed at Cassie's place until he was sober enough to go home. And maybe the open condom wrapper on the floor next to him wasn't his…Jesse looked around for his wallet and found it in a pile of Cassie's lingerie near her bed. He frantically skimmed through the each section until he reached the smallest compartment where his condom had been. Surely enough it was gone. He started to panic. Not only had he gotten drunk, but he hadn't gone home, and…apparently had slept with Cassie. The truth echoed loudly in his ears and no matter how hard he tried to ignore it the sound of his conscious deafening. His head was throbbing and the world around him began to spin. Jesse tightly closed his eyes and tried to regain his composure but it was no use. He stood up and stumbled towards the Cassie's bathroom just before the after effects of seven shots of absolute had their way with him.

Cassie woke up not to long afterwards and made her way over to her dresser. She slipped into something less revealing and more comfortable just before she rounded the corner to her bathroom. She was not surprised to find Jesse sitting on the floor moaning. She briefly enjoyed how vulnerable he looked sitting there in a child like position, but then swallowed her pride and went to get him a change of clothes.

"Here…" Cassie said as she handed Jesse a clean t-shirt that he guessed belonged to Trevor. He feebly reached out and took it from her, then slowly stood up and headed out of the bathroom.

" I…I need to get outta here…" he said hoarsely. Cassie reached out and placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Are you sure you don't wanna wait a few hours its only 7:00 and I'm sure Tanner won't be awake till later, we can get you back before then and..." Jesse cut her off.

"…I need talk to you Cass…not just about last night but everything…" she looked up at him with a shocked expression.

"W-What are you talking abou.." Jesse interrupted her again.

"…the day I left for California, I never got to tell you how I felt about you…" he began. Cassie was silent.

"…I never meant to hurt you the way I did…we got together and then I just left…I didn't say a word …I just ran away from everything…even you…and that was wrong…I was scared and I didn't know how to deal with what I did…with what we did…but I did care about you…regardless of the circumstances you were my close friend…and I shouldn't have treated you that way…" Cassie was speechless, after all this time he finally was telling her the truth. She swallowed hard.

"So you never…saw me as anything more than a hook up…" Cassie whispered.

"No you meant a lot to me…more then I let on…but only as a friend…I was never in…" Cassie stopped him.

"…love with me…" she said softly as bittersweet tears rolled down the sides of her face. "…you know…its taken me a longtime to…come to terms with this…I loved you then Jesse… but when you left without saying anything I thought it was your way of telling me that I didn't mean anything to you…and that hurt…probably worse then the thought of you leaving…so when I came out here, and did this I…wasn't thinking…I was too caught up in finding someway to ease the pain that I…did something like this…just to get back at you…and now… I don't even know how to say I'm sorry…" Jesse walked over to the window and looked out over the ocean.

"Cassie….I understand just how far being hurt by someone or something can push you…trust me I've been there…but….you took something very important away from me last night…and I know we've gotten together in the past…but Cassie…this time…I'm in love with someone else…and they're the only reason why I'm here at all…they've given me a reason to keep going…even after everything my friends, my family, and I have been through…I'm still here…and the truth is that nobody I've ever met has ever really made me feel like this…I'm just sorry I couldn't feel this way about you…" Cassie smiled through her tears.

"Listen…last night we did something that neither of us really wanted…and I wish there was a way I could apologize but I know saying sorry at this point isn't anywhere near enough…" Jesse's eyes turned grayish green in color as tears began to form.

"Its my fault too….I just…don't know how I'm gunna tell her…there's nothing I can say….I…" he stopped and sank to his knees crying. At that moment, she saw something in him that hadn't been there in the 16 years she'd known him. Even when they were together just a few months before she'd never seen him like this, and that's when she truly realized the extent of the pain her actions had caused him.

"I'm going to lose her Cassie…I can't…I love her…" he sobbed.

"Just tell her the truth Jess…she sounds like she's really special, and I know she'll find it in her heart to forgive us…I'm so sorry…" she said sincerely then helped him to his feet. He walked over to the door and briefly stopped and stood feebly in the hallway.

"What am I going to do?" he said while trying to wipe the tears from his eyes.

"I've betrayed her…" he said weakly as he slowly descended the stairs.


	27. Chapter 26: I Hate Loving You

Later that morning, Jen woke up to the sound of her doorbell ringing loudly from downstairs. She turned over to face her alarm clock which read 7:15 on the bright green digitalized face. She yawned and got out of bed then slipped into a pair of flip-flops and headed downstairs. She lazily made her way into the front hallway, then walked over to the door and opened it neither knowing who or what to expect. She looked up to see Jesse standing there with an unfamiliar look in his eyes. He neither said anything nor made any effort to, he just stood there staring right at her.

"Jesse…what are you doing here?" she asked tentatively. Something about the way he looked frightened her. He seemed so fragile. It looked almost as though he were using every last ounce of his strength to remain standing.

"…I really need to talk to you…" he whispered. Jen frantically searched for some sign of life in his eyes or in his expression, but found none. Something was very wrong. Jesse sunk to his knees, then placed his arms around Jen's waist, and brought her in close to him.

"…Please…I've done something terrible…and…I really need you right now…please…" he said sobbing. Jen kneeled down in front of Jesse and held him in her arms. She couldn't handle seeing him like this. She reached out and wiped a few tears away from his eyes and smiled.

"…Come here you…let's go inside…" she said calmingly. He looked at her evasively.

"Don't talk to me that way…I don't deserve it…" he replied. She looked at him strangely then helped him to his feet. His behavior began worry her.

"What are you talking about silly?" she asked uncomfortably as she placed her arm around his waist.

"You…shouldn't even touch me…" he said as he evaded her embrace. Jen sat down on the couch feeling a bit overwhelmed, and waited for Jesse to join her and explain the situation. He sat down beside her and took her hands in his own which were violently trembling. Jen waited until he was ready to speak. Jesse looked up at her.

"…I'm a idiot Jen…and if you don't want to see me again then I'll understand but I don't wanna hide anything from you anymore…" he began. Jen looked at him nervously then nodded. Jesse continued.

"You know how you said you wanted to know about what happened to me before I came here…" She was silent.

"…a few months ago…I was in a serious accident…" Jen looked directly at Jesse who avoided her gaze. "…me and my two friends went to this party not far from my house…and by end of the night we were all wasted… to make things worse I gave my friend Alex the keys to my car and let him drive us back to his place across town even though we could have walked back to my house which was only a few blocks away…I was too scared to go back home because I knew if my parents found out I was drinking they'd punish me...None of us were sober enough to drive…but I gave Alex the keys anyway…" Jesse hesitated for a moment, then took a deep breath and continued. "…we started driving and I pulled out some left over beers…we were drinking and laughing and talking until we came up to a stop light at an intersection…in the middle of town" Jen's grip loosened in Jesse's hand. She stared blankly at the floor trying to process what Jesse was saying.

"…a truck came out of nowhere and hit us…I….I don't really remember much after that…except for the noise...it sounded like everything around me was shattering…" Jesse tried to hold himself back from crying.

"After that I was sort of in a haze…I wasn't awake or asleep I was stuck somewhere in the middle…it was like…treading water, you know that as soon as you give up you'll go under but if you can manage to keep kicking your feet long enough you'll stay above water and you just might make it through…luckily I did…when I came to my Mom, Dad, and Tanner were all sitting in my hospital room with me…I'd been in the ICU three days and the doctors didn't think I was going to recover as quickly as I did…I remember hearing them telling my parents that I might be unresponsive for weeks…but I wasn't about to accept that…I wanted to see Alex and Dillon…and no head injury was going to keep me from that…" Jen looked down at the top of Jesse's forehead. She brushed his bangs aside and gently traced the outline of a crescent shaped scar with her finger. Jesse paused briefly then continued on to the part of his story he didn't want to retell.

"…it was Tanner…who told me about them…" he said hoarsely.

"Alex…was killed on impact…and Dill…he…um…he…" Jesse hesitated for a second, then finally let himself cry.

Jen also had tears streaming down her face. Jen looked up into Jesse's eyes and then gently placed her lips upon his. She brushed her hand along the side of his face and moved closer to him to deepen the kiss. He pulled away. Jen looked at him confused.

"Don't…I still have something to tell you…" he said quietly. Jen was a bit thrown off by Jesse's mood.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"You don't wanna know…" he replied shamefully. Jen glared at him.

"Jesse you just said you were done hiding things from me! Jesse looked directly at her, tears streaming down his face.

"I…cheated on you…last night with this girl from back home…I was drunk…and I…um…I slept with her…I know this doesn't mean anything but...I'm so sor..." Jen slapped him as hard as she could, then let out a cry that even startled Jesse.

"I'm sorry…" he whispered. She hit him again in her frustration and sorrow.

"Why would you do this to me….how could you do this after everything we've been through …you lied to me, everything you've said to me this summer, was fake. Was I not easy enough for you? Do you usually just run off and screw the next girl you see if the one you're dating doesn't give it up on the first night?" she shouted.

"No…you know I'm not like that Jen…" he mumbled. He couldn't bare to watch her hurt like this but there was nothing he could say to ease her pain.

"How can…how can you even expect me to believe that now Jess! I don't know who you are anymore…but if anything…I know you're certainly not someone I wanna be with…" Jesse swallowed hard as tears streamed down his face.

"I…love you…so much…I didn't mean to do this to you…and I'm so sorry…" he whispered. She wouldn't look at him.

"Jen please…I didn't know what I was doing…I lost control…and Cassie she…just…" she turned away from him.

"…If you wanna be with her then go…she clearly knows how to get your attention better than I do, All she had to do was offer you a drink…." A hurt expression spread across Jesse's face.

"Why would you even say that? She and her friends forced me to drink last night!" Jen rolled her eyes.

"Right…she must have been pouring drinks down your throat...poor baby…" Jesse glared at her.

"I fucked up okay!" Jen looked away from him. Jesse placed his hands on her shoulders.

"You don't understand Jen. Yesterday I randomly ran into Cassie, she told me she was in town for a few days so I stupidly agreed to hang out with her. She picked me up early last night and didn't tell me we were going to a bar. When we got there I tried to leave but she kept pushing me to stay with her. Trevor was there and we nearly got into another fight but Cassie said that if I could down more shots than Trevor she'd make him call the whole thing off. So I was stupid and I had a few drinks and that's when things got out of control…you see…Cassie and I had a thing a while back…and stuff got serious between us the night before I left to go to California but when I got here, I realized that I only saw her as a friend and nothing more…and last night didn't change that…the problem was that I was too drunk to know what was going on and I ended up doing something I will regret for the rest of my life…I hurt you and I won't forgive myself for that…but you should know that what she...what I…what the both of us ended up doing last night was wrong…Its my fault that things went this far…I never should have agreed to go with her at all…I don't even know what I can say to you to get you to forgive me…but I'm sorry and I love you Jen...you're the only person I've ever wanted to be with…I've never felt this way about anyone…I... "

"…Get out…I don't want hear anymore of your bullshit right now…." She ordered.

"No…please just listen to me…." he replied then stepped closer to her. Jen turned around and grabbed him by the shirt then pushed him away from her.

"Get out! Leave! I don't wanna listen to you! I hate you…I hate seeing you I hate knowing you…I hate everything about you…!" she shouted as she pounded on his chest. Jesse wrapped his arms around her.

"Don't touch me!" She protested but he only held her closer.

"I…hate…I...hate loving you…Jesse…I…" they both sunk to the floor holding each other as tight as they could, both crying until they couldn't any longer.

The subtle exchange of apologies was apparent as they both sat holding one another for as long as they could. Even in the midst of such circumstances they couldn't deny or refute they way they felt for each other. After a long silence, Jen gathered enough composure to speak.

"Do you still love her Jess…tell me the truth…" she asked as quietly sobbed to herself. Jesse looked directly into Jen's eyes.

"No…because…this summer…I met someone really special…someone who makes me feel amazing whenever I'm around her…someone who gave me a reason to wake up every morning…someone who turned my life around… I fell in love with someone this summer…and she's sitting right here in front of me…"


	28. Chapter 27: Frostbitten

Jen sat there completely silent. She didn't move, she didn't breathe, she didn't make a sound, she just stared at Jesse blankly with an inexplicable expression on her face. The phone rang. Jesse looked nervously back and forth from the phone to Jen. He had never felt such helplessness. Before either of them could do anything, Cali came trudging down the stairs in her bunny slippers and Pooh Bear pajamas to answer the phone.

"I'll get it…"she mumbled as she made her way over to the kitchen. She picked up.

"Hello?" she asked groggily.

"Hey Cal how are you? I'm sorry to wake you so early. It's nearly noon here in New York and I forgot about the time difference. Anyways is Jenny awake?" said a familiar voice on the other line.

"That's fine Auntie. Yea Jenny's right here I'll get her for you." Cali said as she walked over and handed Jen the phone.

"Here. Your Mom's on the other line." Jen didn't respond.

"Hey kiddo wake up its not that early." Cali said smiling. Jen didn't move. Cali eyed Jesse suspiciously.

"Hey blondie! Do you know what's wrong with her?" she asked. Jesse looked uneasy.

" Cali not now okay?" he pleaded.

She raised one eyebrow. "Sheesh I'm just trying to lighten the mood, you both look pretty awful. Up all night talking or something?" Jesse glared at her.

" Cali please…" he replied. She was a bit unsettled by the solemn seriousness in Jesse's voice.

"Okay I get that its none of my business, but anyways do you guys want some breakfast? Tanner and I bought a new box of Captain Crunch yesterday." Jesse nodded even though the truth of the matter was that he was nowhere near ready to see food much less eat it. Both he and Cali got up and walked over to the kitchen while Jen picked up the phone.

"Hi mom." She said quietly.

"Hey sweety, how are you? How's life out in the O.C" Jen cringed at her Mom's not so subtle attempt to sound cool.

"I'm fine. Its amazing out here, I love it… Cali's doing well, she has a boyfriend now and they're a really cute couple." She said while trying as hard as she could to postpone the thought of her and Jesse's relationship.

"Oh that's very sweet. How about you? Did you find yourself a love interest out there?" her mother pried. Jen slapped her forehead, she should have seen that coming.

"Um…I…don't…really…wanna talk about it right now…" she said uncomfortably. Her mother sighed.

"I understand, summer love's a complicated thing, but hey that's how I met your father. At your age it's hard to tell whether your in love or not. But you'll always know when you find someone really special. If they can make a lasting impression on you and your everyday life that's when you know..." Jen was silent.

"Anyways your school called, they've moved the starting date back a few weeks because of exams. They've completely rewritten the schedule for this year, so now you're going back a week from today, which means you have school next Monday. Your father and I already changed your ticket to the earlier date. So you're coming home on Saturday. The flight is at 6:00 so you should arrive in New York around 1:00. I'm sorry it's so late but all the other flights were sold out. We'll pick you up at the airport okay hun?" Jen nearly dropped the phone. She was going home in six days. She only had six days left in her summer. Only six days left to hang out with Cali and Tanner. Only six days left with Jesse...

"…Are you sure? We weren't supposed to go back for two weeks." She said, hoping that all of this was some kind of mistake.

"No, they were very clear, its next week…" Jen felt as though someone had torn her heart out and stepped on it.

"But…I…" Her mother stopped her.

"I know you don't want to leave Jen but you've got to be back here for orientation, you have to meet your teachers and get your schedules etc. But look at the bright side you get to see all your school friends again." The very thought of her "friends" made her sick, they were nothing compared to the one's she'd met this summer.

"Mom, I've gotta go eat breakfast. I'll call you later." She said tonelessly.

"Okay hun, I'll see you on Saturday." her mother replied as she hung up the phone. Jen felt empty as though the phone call had drained all of her energy and emotion from her. She was leaving, summer was over for her now. In just a few short days she'd be swept back across the country to her test ridden school life and her superficial friends and the more she began to think about leaving the more detached she became from California. Cali called over to her.

"Hey JennyBenny come over here and have some Captain Crunch with us! It's the very berry kind, I know you want some." Jen dropped the phone back down on the couch and walked over to the kitchen table. Jesse looked at her and realized that something was definitely wrong. She sat down next to him and reached out for the brightly colored cereal box across the table. She poured herself a half a bowl then stared blankly at it for a good three minutes. Jesse reached under the table and held her hand.

"What's up?" he asked worriedly. Jen slid her hand out of his and inched away from him.

"Its nothing…I just wanna be left alone right now." Jesse swallowed hard. He knew that her coldness was a result of what he had told her earlier.

"So this is frostbite huh?" he mumbled under his breath. Cali looked up at Jen.

"Hey hun you haven't touched your cereal. If your not hungry you don't have to hang around with us dorks. You look tired maybe you should go upstairs and rest for a little while." She said sounding concerned. Jen got up.

"Sorry…I just…need to be alone for a little while…I've got a lot on my mind." She replied. Jesse felt completely exposed. She couldn't have been anymore clear as to who and what she was talking about.

"Okay I'll come by later to check on you." Cali said assuredly as she downed another spoonful of soggy looking Captain Crunch.

"Okay…" Jen said quietly as she headed upstairs. Cali and Jesse sat for a few minutes in silence, until Jesse got up and walked over to a nearby thermostat on the wall.

"Cali? Is the air conditioning on high or something?" he said as he observed the Fahrenheit and centigrade meters on the dial.

"No…why are you cold?" she asked.

"I'm freezing…" he replied as he made his way out the door.


	29. Chapter 28: Wet Sand & Cold Feet

It was still early morning when Jesse stepped outside of Cali's house and into the pastel colored sunlight which dimly illuminated his distant expression. A breeze came rushing down the coast line as Jesse turned towards the wind and made his way over to the beach. He walked down a set of eroded concrete stairs and onto the cool damp sand which would have repulsed him any other morning, but today Jesse was focused on less trivial things than wet sand and cold feet. He sat down and stared out at the ocean as though he were looking for answers to questions that only one person knew. He felt an unsettling loneliness, something about the way Jen had been earlier that morning caused him a great deal of discomfort. He never thought she could act so distant and cold towards him. At breakfast had shied away from him almost as if she was disgusted by his very touch. Jesse buried his face in his hands. Did he make the right decision to tell her so soon? Maybe he should have waited; maybe he shouldn't have told her at all. Maybe she really would leave him. That final thought burdened his hopes so heavily that the even the slightest implication of him and Jen ending up together was silenced by the sound of his heart breaking. And at that moment he realized that he truly was in love with her and now might lose her and it was tearing him apart from the inside out. His cell phone rang.

"Great…" he sighed.

"What else could possibly go wrong this morning?" he said to himself as he flipped open the screen.

"Hello?" he grumbled.

"Hey hun! You're up early." Jesse rolled his eyes.

"Hi Mom, what's up? How's everything back home?" he replied.

"Everything's fine here, but I have some big news for you." She said excitedly. Jesse prepared himself for the usual news meaning his mom had won poker night with the girls or she'd found his favorite teenage mutant ninja turtles t-shirt that he'd been looking for for three years.

"You found it!" he said hopefully.

"No Jess, that shirt is long gone, but I thought I'd let you know that we're moving." Jesse nearly dropped the phone.

"What! Where? Is Dad coming?" he replied feeling completely flustered, this was too much to handle especially this morning.

"Yes you're father and I are moving back together, he's found a new job and now he's the owner and CEO of a major insurance company in the big city. I also think moving up there will be good for you as well, you can start over again, make some new friends, you know, turn over a new leaf. Oh and I went to the Ritz Carlton Spa last week and I met this wonderful couple who were on vacation there, and they were from the same city that we're moving to! They have a daughter about your age and I'm sure you two will get along just fine. You never know she could end up being your new love interest."

Jesse ran his fingers through his hair. "Look, one, I don't need or want a new love interest! Two, why didn't you tell me about this! This is huge mom! You and Dad, everyone moving, I don't even know what to say. I'm coming home in 3 weeks and now I don't even know where that is. I just wish you would have told me sooner…" he said angrily.

"I'm sorry Jess, your father tried calling you last night but your phone was off. He told your brother about all this but Tanner couldn't get a hold of you either." She replied.

"So where and when are we moving?" he mumbled.

"We've already bought the house, its in the suburbs but it's a very peaceful neighborhood. It's a large house, very beautiful I'm sure you'll like it. Oh and you'll be starting at your new school a little later than most students, so when you get home, we've got to get you moved in and ready to go okay? This isn't like your old school where they could careless if you came in three weeks or a year late. You're going to have a lot of catch up work to do but I'm sure we can find someone to help you out." Jesse couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"So you bought a house and I'm going to a new school that I've never heard of…wow thanks for the heads up Mom. I haven't even seen either of them yet...but clearly that doesn't matter to you or Dad." He snapped.

"Jesse, you're going to have to trust the decision your father and I made for the family, we're trying to do what's best for all of us, especially you. We need to get you away from where we live now and into a new environment, you need to meet new people and move on with your life and we think that moving is the way to accomplish that. Your father and I are happy again, we're ready start over and we need you to be willing to do so as well. Do you understand that?" she said seriously. Jesse was quite for a few moments, realizing that with all the pain he'd caused his family this year the least he could do was cooperate.

"I do and I'm sorry, this is all just a little sudden and I guess I kinda…overreacted. But I'm willing to work with you guys…and I'm sorry I haven't been the greatest son you could ask for but I'll try to be. So, clean slate okay?" he said sincerely.

"Now that's what we wanted to hear!" said four very familiar voices on the other line.

"What the?" Jesse said feeling completely confused. Tanner, Cali, and his father and mother had all been listening to the entire conversation.

"There ya go Jess, you're turning out okay after all!" his father said sarcastically.

"Dad, you know he takes after me so he should be just fine. Not that he'll ever be as cool as the Tan man but pretty close." Tanner teased.

"Aww Jesse that was the cutest thing you've ever said! Who knew there'd be such a great guy under all that blonde hair?" Cali joked. Everyone laughed, and even Jesse smiled a little bit.

"Alright, alright losers get off my phone you're killing the battery here!" he replied.

"Okay hun, we love you!" said his mother along with Tanner, Cali, and his Dad just before he hung up the phone.

Seconds later Jesse's cell phone buzzed loudly in his right pocket. He picked it up and saw that he had received a new text message in his inbox from an unknown user. He opened it.

"I 4gv + I 3 U "

Was written across the screen in bright pink letters. He stared at it for a minute in total confusion. "Huh? What the hell is that supposed to mean?" he said loudly to himself as he reread the message for the fourth time. There was a thud in the sand next to him. He looked over to see a pink Swarovski crystalled Razor (phone) lying face up in the sand. Before he could pick it up someone reached out from behind him and covered his eyes.

"Guess who?" said the stranger.

"Hi Jen…" he said quietly. She uncovered his eyes and sat down next to him. Jesse didn't look at her, he couldn't.

"So I see you've got a text message there." She said slyly. Jesse handed her his phone.

"Yea, too bad I don't know what it means. Whoever sent this probably dialed the wrong number or something…" Jen smiled.

"No its definitely for you. Try reading it again moron and maybe you'll get it." She said sarcastically. Jesse blushed. He was being schooled in technology by a girl.

"I…something 3 U? What? Jen, I don't even know how or what to think about this right now, I've got a lot on my mind…okay?" He replied solemnly.

"Well, think of it as my way of saying…" Jen paused for a moment, and Jesse turned towards her and looked up into her eyes.

"I love you and I forgive you" She said smiling, and before Jesse could say or do anything Jen answered all of his questions with a single kiss.


	30. Chapter 29: Race You To The Pier!

"You know you scared me back there." Jesse said as he rested his head on Jen's shoulder.

"Me? Scary? Pshh whatever!" she said smiling.

"No really I thought that you were…" Jen cut him off. "Going to let you go… to be honest I thought about it but I could never do that to you…I wanna be with you…and I mean that. Relationships have their fallouts but I wanna put up with you. Even if you drive me crazy sometimes, I care about you and nothing is going to change that…" Jesse looked at her with more admiration than he had before.

"You know you really are too good for me…someone like you deserves a knight not a nothing like me. I don't know why you waste your time…" he said solemnly. Jen placed her finger underneath his chin and looked right into his eyes.

"You silly boy, you don't know me at all do you?" she said teasingly. Jesse's spirits lifted a little.

"I know that you're insanely ticklish and that you like water fights down at the boardwalk. I know you hate waiting in long lines for rides and when I yell at smoothie stand employees in public. I know that you suck at and are afraid of Zombie video games, I know that you can act really weird and crazy sometimes just to get people's attention and that when you're nervous you bite your nails like a maniac…" Jesse replied, Jen turned bright pink.

" I do not bite my nails!" She retorted.

"Yes you do, and I'm not finished. So anyways…" Jen rolled her eyes.

" I know that when your worried about someone you stay by their side, I know that when yell at someone you're just trying to let them know how much you care and I know that when you cry you're still the most beautiful girl I've ever seen." Jen felt her heart do a somersault. "I know that you're very cute when you're asleep, I know that when you laugh I can't help myself from smiling and I know that I'm very lucky to have found someone like you this summer." Jen smiled then leaned in and kissed him softly on the lips. She pulled away after a few seconds realizing that she had something she still needed to tell him.

"Jesse I…I have to go soon." She said while avoiding his gaze.

"What's wrong is it cold out here or something cuz we can go back to my house and have coffee if you want." Jen shook her head.

"No it's not that, I'm leaving…to go home soon…." Jesse sat up.

"What? What are you talking about? Schools don't start for another 3 weeks why are you leaving!" Jen tried to hold herself back from crying.

"I go to a private school and they've decided to move the starting date back because of the new exams." She said quietly.

"That's bullshit! Screw exams you're not leaving!" he said angrily.

"I don't want to either but my parents already bought me a new plane ticket for the earlier date." She said in almost a whisper. Jesse swallowed hard as he felt a horribly empty sensation rise up in his chest.

"…when…?" he said staring directly into her eyes.

"…this Saturday…" Jen replied tonelessly. Jesse looked at her in complete shock and backed away from her.

"That's gotta be a mistake Jen. You…I just met you the other day. It's barely been five minutes…" Jen cut him off, tears streaming down her face.

"Its been five weeks Jesse! The most unforgettable, best five weeks of my life but summer's over…we only get a short time for things like this…" Jesse shook his head.

"No summer's not over yet we still have time babe…" he persisted.

"It's over for me Jesse! My summer ends six days from now when I have to pack my bags and get on that plane and say goodbye to you. The summer's finished, I don't want it to be but I have no choice…"she said sobbing.

"But it doesn't have to end right now, so stop trying to leave six days before you're gone. All that matters is what's going on right here right now not what's happening tomorrow or Saturday or any other day. I'm right here and that's exactly where you should be!" he said sternly. Jesse reached out and held her close to him.

"I'm so sorry Jesse, you're right I'm just really upset about this. Earlier I didn't mean to act so cold towards you, I was just scared that if I let myself get close to you it would make leaving harder for both of us. I didn't want to hurt you." Jesse cradled her in his arms.

"Now why'd you have to go off and worry about me like that?" he said smiling. Jen wiped her eyes.

"I wasn't exactly worried I was just…um…concerned…" she said. Jesse smirked.

"So you're a softy after all. I knew it." Jen stuck out her tongue.

"I'm only a softy when it comes to stupidly irresistibly cute blonde boys." She remarked.

"I'm only a softy when it comes to you." Jesse replied.

"And Cali! I swear you have the BIGGEST crush on that girl!" Jen said laughing. Jesse turned bright red.

"So! It's not like I don't see how you get around my brother! All googly eyed and girly looking its funny." Jen glared at him.

"Whatever! My cousin pretty much has you on a leash!" Jesse rolled his eyes.

"Right, well my brother could take your cousin any day." He retorted.

"Jesse they're already dating, and Cali won." Jen said smugly.

"Oh yea? Well I bet I could take you!" Jesse said slyly.

"Okay let's go!" Jen said as she wrestled Jesse to the ground. Jesse struggled to get out from under Jen for a few seconds.

"Jess, admit it, It's better for both of us when it when I'm on top" Jen said seductively.

"True." Jesse said as pulled Jen down on top of him and kissed her passionately. After a few long minutes he pulled away.

"But…that doesn't mean I don't like playing around before hand." Jesse rolled over and pinned Jen down on the sand then got up and starting running down the beach.

"Race you to the pier!" he shouted back towards Jen. "Oh you're so about to lose!" Jen said as she got up and sprinted after him.


	31. Chapter 30: Ordinary People

"So…what do you wanna do today?" Jesse said as he and Jen walked hand in hand down the lightly sanded drift wood sidewalk.

"Hmm…I don't know…something spontaneous…" Jen replied. Jesse looked down at her.

"You spontaneous? Is this the same Jen I've known for five weeks? Hi nice to meet you I'm Jesse and…who are you?" he teased. Jen stepped in front of him, wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled him in close to her.

"Listen Jess, just because I'm a good girl most of the time doesn't mean I don't have a wild side." Jesse bit down on his bottom lip and smiled.

"Oh really? I'd like to see that sometime…" Jesse leaned down to kiss her but Jen placed her finger gently over his lips and smiled.

"Maybe yes…maybe no…we'll see." Jen pulled away from him and ran a few steps ahead. Jesse groaned.

"Why? Why do all women do this?" Jen turned around and looked at him.

"Do what?" she said with her hands placed on her hips. "Play hard to get…make us guys crazy…" he said irritably. Jen walked back over towards him.

"Am I making you crazy?" she said smirking. Jesse looked down at her, admiring how beautiful she was.

"Yes…" he said smiling. Jen grinned and lightly kissed him.

"Boys are funny…but I think I like this one." She said playfully then took his hand in hers and continued walking down towards the pier.

Jen and Jesse walked among the bustling crowds of suntanned beach goers who lazily made their way over to the shore. They passed a handful of seaside shops where Jen would occasionally stop to admire a pair of the newest designer sunglasses on display in the store windows.

"Look at those! Their beautiful…I need them…" Jen squealed. Jesse rolled his eyes and reached into his back pocket.

"Do you really want them?" he asked. Jen continued staring longingly at the rotating pair of Chanel shades behind the glass.

"I do…but I forgot my wallet at Cali's…oh well…lets go get ice cr…" she stopped mid sentence when she looked up and saw Jesse and a store clerk take the very same pair of glasses off of the display and up to the front register.

"Jesse!" Jen shouted as she ran over to the entrance of the building. Once inside, she quickly made her way over to Jesse who was counting out a fair amount of 20 dollar bills.

"Thank you sir, that will be three hundred and…" Jen grabbed Jesse's hand. "What are you doing!" she asked frantically. He grinned.

"Well…you said you "needed" them…" Jen shook her head.

"Jess, I was kidding…I never meant for…" Jesse placed his finger over her lips.

"I want you to have them. Plus they'll look sexy on you." He winked. Jen sighed as she just began to realize that once Jesse had his mind set on something there was no use trying to change it. The store clerk shot Jesse an impatient look.

"Sir…" the man said irritably.

"Yea, yea, yea you'll get your money just give me a second I'm working things out with my girlfriend okay? Geeze!" Jesse replied angrily. Jen blushed a little, this was the first time all summer he had referred to her as his girlfriend…it felt nice and was definitely something she could get used to.

"Well I didn't mean to upset you…" Jesse cut the short and too snobby for his own good store clerk off mid sentence.

"Well its kinda late for an apology dude! Here's your money, go buy yourself a personality, then maybe people here won't have such a hard time dealing with you." Jen grabbed Jesse's side and pinched it as hard as she could.

"Ouch! I mean…thank…you…sir…have…a nice…" Jesse reached out and took the bag from the man and started to walk out of the store.

"…life…" he mumbled under his breath. Jen tightened her grip.

"Oww…I can't have any fun around you now can I?" Jesse teased.

"Nope…" Jen said smirking as she reached into the bag and put on her new sunglasses.

"Well then…I guess that means you won't wanna goto the Green Day concert with me tonight at the Pavillion." Jesse said casually as he made his way over to the ticketing office just down the way from the Sunglasses hut.

"Jesse…no I'm not letting you spend anymore today…I'm still recovering from what you did back there…" Jen said.

"Its no problem, you can just cover lunch and dinner right?" Jesse replied slyly. Jen glared at him.

"Are you crazy? Jesse I don't even have my wallet with me!" he laughed.

"I'm kidding! Wow you're nuts sometimes!" Jen turned bright red.

"Aw look, you're blushing that's cute, I love it when your angry." he said smiling. Jen stuck out her tongue.

"Piss off…" she teased. Jesse placed his arm around her waist and pulled her towards him.

"No can do…I like you to much…plus I have our whole day planned out..." Jen looked up at him.

"What?" she said feeling confused.

"Well I kinda had this day planned since we first started hanging around each other this summer. I've known for awhile now that I've wanted to spend some one on one time with you and take you out on the perfect date. You know kind of like this…minus me spending $300 on those glasses…" he said smiling. Jen was beaming.

"…you're really something else…" she said as she looked up at the strings of lights lining the pier walkway. "Oh yea?" Jesse said lightheartedly.

"Yea…you're wild and very ambitious, you like getting the best out of life and you enjoy making other people happy. You're dedicated and hard working. And you go all out for the person you love which technically makes you hopeless romantic." Jen said knowingly. Jesse smiled.

"Thank you Dr. Phil." Jen rolled her eyes.

"Whatever Jess, you know I'm right. I mean who else comes to a college party in a white tux?" Jesse blushed.

"Hey now...I did that for you…it was a bet…and I won…remember?" he said.

"Yea but I was just kidding…you where the one who went all white tie and roses." She said smiling.

"Alright, alright you've got me. What can I say? I'm a sucker for beautiful girls." Jen glared at him.

"Jess there are tons of beautiful girls here, its California. Everyone here is beautiful…" Jen said as the two of them left the ticketing booth after Jesse had bought two tickets for the concert later that night. Jesse stopped her and looked right into her eyes.

"Now listen, there are three kinds of beautiful people. There are girls who are beautiful because they make it a point to be…they spend hours putting on pounds of make up and picking out really revealing outfits just to get attention. They've got personalities about as real as a Barbie doll and only want to get to know guys for one reason and one reason only." Jen laughed.

"Then you've got the girls who are attractive and seem like great people, but end up using you. Sure they might look hott but they're nothing more then a pretty face." Jesse paused for a moment and looked directly at Jen. "And then there's you. The kind of girl who's adventurous, sensible and intelligent. The kind of girl whose confident and isn't afraid to take chances or speak her mind. The kind of girl you only come across once in your life. The kind of girl who can change you for the better and makes you feel amazing whenever your around her. The kind of girl you can't ever let go." Though they were standing in the middle of the pier Jesse leaned in towards Jen and the two of them shared a sweet kiss, in front of the hoards of strangers who seemed to disappear into the background blur that the world faded into. Accompanied by the beautiful melodic line of John Legend's "Ordinary People", the both of them walked along the pier in the midday sunlight listening to the harmonies between the music playing around them and the slow and steady rhythm of ocean. As they walked beside the shore both Jen and Jesse began to sing along with each other, neither knowing nor caring who was listening.

"We're just ordinary people, we don't know which way to go. Cuz were ordinary people, maybe we should take it slow…take it slow…this time we'll take it slow…" (John Legend)


	32. Chapter 31: Greenday

"…that was amazing…" Jesse said as he and Jen walked out of Koi Restaurant later that afternoon. Jen looked up at him, still unable to believe that she had just watched him eat Japan's entire stock of sushi.

"…You…you just ate…45 pieces of sushi…in less than 5 minutes" she replied. Jesse rubbed his stomach.

"Yea so? I could have eaten more but I had to save some room for later, I'm thinking we can get Ben & Jerry's after the show." Jen shook her head.

"Jesse, considering the way you eat, when you have go back home at the end of the summer they're going to have to U-haul you back across the country cuz no plane that I know of will be able to get off the ground with a boy who eats 10 large servings of sushi a day and still is hungry." She teased. Jesse rolled his eyes.

"Who says I'm still hungry? But… those corn dogs over there don't look half bad." Jen laughed.

"Um…You know we're gunna have to stand in line for 3 hours or so right? Its Greenday Jess, everyone is going to be at the Pavilion tonight and you know how intense crowds get…" she said keenly.

"Yea, they get really pushy, kinda like you…" he smirked. Jen poked him.

"Watch it Jess, I'm a black belt you know. I could take you out no problem." She said arrogantly. Jesse shot her a skeptical look.

"You? Take me? Ha! You're funny but everyone knows I'd own you in a fight." He replied.

"Wanna go?" Jen said excitedly.

"Right now?" Jesse asked. Jen raised her eyebrows.

"What's wrong? You afraid to lose to a girl in public?" Jesse glared at her.

"No, I just don't like to hurt a girl on the first date." He retorted. Jen rolled her eyes.

"Okay after the concert You. Me. Beach. Showdown at sunset." A grin spread across Jesse's face.

"You've got it, I just hope your ready to lose….!" He said confidently.

"We'll see." Jen said slyly as the two of them walked towards the already 300 person long line outside the Pavilion Gates.

"I'm gunna be sick…" Jesse said as he and Jen sat down on the pavement.

"See, I told you, you shouldn't have eaten so much." Jesse groaned and leaned over to rest his head on Jen's shoulder.

"I know…you were right as usual…but I was so hungry." He whined. Jen ran her fingers through his golden blonde hair and smiled. The two of them sat among the hoards of people waiting anxiously in line for the upcoming concert. Every now and then the occasional group of teenie boppers would come running by, hoping to catch a glimpse of one of the band members on their way to the stage for sound check. Jesse laughed.

"Those girls are nuts…I mean if you even mention the word celebrity to them they'll go crazy…" Jen looked over at one particular group of girls who were wearing matching tee-shirts with pictures of Greenday plastered all over them.

"I never really understood teenies, the whole mentality behind it, the hype, is just weird to me. I go to concerts for the music, not for the chance to see a celebrity or a hott guy on stage you know?" Jesse looked up at her.

"Oh c'mon, I know you can't tell me you don't find Greenday the slightest bit attractive." Jen blushed.

"…Well they're definitely hott…but they wouldn't drive me to homemade tee-shirts and hot pink poster boards..." she retorted.

"Would I?" Jesse teased.

"Yes! I'd go all out for you." She said smiling. Jesse laughed.

"Yea I thought as much." Jen rolled her eyes.

"I'm kidding Jess…I'd never be fake when it comes to showing you how I feel. I'd let you know how I much I cared about you in other ways…" she said sincerely.

"Groupie!" he shouted. Jen hit him on the shoulder.

"You asshole, that's not what I meant!" she said blushing.

"Sure Jen…you know you want a piece of this…" Jen stood up abruptly, and Jesse's head hit the ground. "Ow! What the hell was that? I was using you as a pillow." Jen looked down at him.

"Get up lazy! We're going in!" Jen said anxiously. Jesse reached out for her hand and once he was on his feet the two of them made their way towards the front gates.

Once inside Jen and Jesse ran up to the front row and fought against the crowd to keep their place. Jesse managed to place his arms on either side of Jen and hold on to the railing that separated the audience from the stage. Jen leaned back up against his body, an action which was beginning to feel almost second nature to her now. She liked being close to him. She loved how safe, how secure, and how beautiful he made her feel. And as she settled herself in his embrace, she began to realize something that she hadn't earlier that summer. She could trust him, he wasn't going to hurt her like others had in the past. He had become someone who she couldn't be without, someone who she wanted to be close to…maybe even closer than she'd been with anyone…and seeing how little summer there was left, maybe they'd be together sooner than later…

Jesse suddenly became aware of Jen. He bit down on his bottom lip. This felt nice…maybe a little too nice. She reached around him, took his arms and wrapped them around her waist. He pulled her in towards his body. The two of them fit together like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. Jen leaned her head back on Jesse's shoulder and kissed him lightly on the neck, then returned her focus to the stage. Jesse rocked her back and fourth to the rhythm of a slow paced acoustic song played by the opening act before Greenday's concert. He loved how at ease she was, he wanted to turn her around and kiss her like he had at the pier earlier that day…but this time he couldn't fight the feeling that he wanted to take things a little further then the two of them had been earlier that summer…but the last thing he wanted to do was pressure her like he had before. His thoughts were interrupted when he looked down and saw Jen gazing back up at him. She leaned back and whispered something into his ear.

"Its hot out…do you wanna go swimming later?" Jesse turned bright red.

"Ah…sure but what about…our karate kid match?" Jen grinned.

"Oh don't worry I'll beat you first and then we'll go!" Jesse smirked.

"Oh man, you're going to lose so bad…and when you do, don't say I didn't warn you." He replied. Jen turned around abruptly and kissed him. She pulled away and gave him the puppy face.

"Now you wouldn't hurt a innocent little girl like me would ya?" Jesse gazed at her, barely hiding how captivated he was.

"Cheater…" he whispered. Jen smiled.

"No way…I just like having the upper hand…" Jesse shook his head.

"Jen, you do know that we have no swimming clothes right? And by the time the concert's over all the shops will be closed…" he said. A grin spread across her face.

"I know…looks like you'll just have to improvise…" Jesse bit down on his bottom lip, he could tell this night was going to be full of surprises.


	33. Chapter 32: Showdown at Sunset

"Wake me up when September ends!" Jen and Jesse sung loudly as they ran hand in hand out of the front gates of the Pavilion. It was 11:30 the sun had set over the water just a few hours before the concert had ended. Hoards of people flooded the exit gates still exhilarated by the unforgettable concert Greenday had given earlier that night. Jen and Jesse made their way over to the beach just a few minutes later. Jen kicked off her flip flops and ran towards the water. Jesse took off his shirt and followed her. Jen turned around to face him.

"Alright Jess ready to lose?" Jen said smiling. Jesse rolled his eyes.

"I'm ready when you are!" he bolted over towards Jen and grabbed her from behind then locked his arms around her waist. Jen briefly struggled to get away from him but couldn't manage to break loose.

"What's this? Is somebody losing?" Jesse whispered playfully in her ear. But before he could say or do anything else he felt his feet lift up from the ground and less than thirty seconds later he was staring up at Jen who had her arms folded and a smirk on her face. A sharp pain shot through his body.

"Ouch…not good…" he groaned. Jen shook her head.

"What's this Jess? Did I just win?" she teased. Jesse glared at her.

"No…I let you have that one…it was just a lucky shot…I'll get up…just you wait…and once I get on my feet I'll…" Jen interrupted him.

"You'll come out into the water with me! Let's go!" Jen said as she ran over towards the water's edge.

"Yea I'm coming I'm…wow…" Jesse stopped mid sentence as he saw Jen undo the strings of her halter to reveal a cute bikini top she'd bought at the beginning of the summer. She then slipped out of her short shorts and dove into the cool ocean water. When Jesse finally managed to come to his senses he got up and followed after her.

Jesse splashed his way out to where he'd seen Jen dive underwater. She still hadn't resurfaced. He looked around nervously, still seeing no sign of her.

"Jen! Jen? C'mon this isn't funny anymore." She unexpectedly swam up behind him and jumped on his back. Jesse laughed and spun her around until they both fell backwards into the water. The world was silent except for the sounds of the restless ocean around them. Jen looked into Jesse's eyes which were a brilliant green against the pale moonlight shining through the water. He pulled her in close and kissed her passionately. She enjoyed every minute of him. Jesse placed his hands delicately around her waist and she wrapped her arms around him as well. They shared a long kiss, one supplying the other with enough air to remain submerged for a few seconds. Jesse pulled away then took her hand in his and swam towards the surface. She let go. Assuming she was right behind him, Jesse came out of the water and shook the hair out of his eyes. Still exhilarated by their underwater make out session, he struggled to catch his breath between laughs.

"Jen that was…Jen?" Once again she was nowhere to be found.

"Okay, the first time it was funny the second time…" he was interrupted by a sharp tug on his leg.

"What the?" Jesse looked around frantically but still didn't see Jen. He spun around in every direction seeing if she had resurfaced further away from him but was horrified to find that she was nowhere in sight. He called out her name again. His only response was from the endless wash of the waves on the shore. Once again something tugged on his leg. He immediately dove back underwater to see what it was. He swam fairly far down to see Jen floating there motionless with her foot caught between two rocks that were situated on the ocean floor. Fighting the push and pull of the current he swam over to her and attempted to free her from the rocks. She wouldn't budge. Her foot was stuck. Jesse swam below her and struggled move the two large stones. As he pushed them, he began to realize just how long he'd been under water. He felt his lungs briefly attempt to take a breath but he resisted. He swam back up to Jen, took her by the waist and pulled her free. He kicked as hard as he could to get back to the surface which seemed to be getting further away from him. He panicked. Could he make it? His body refused to remain without oxygen any longer. He breathed in a mouthful of water just before he resurfaced. When he took his first breath of air, he coughed and struggled to catch his breath but soon relaxed into his nearly failed attempt at survival. He looked down at Jen whose lips had turned a light shade of blue. She wasn't breathing. Fear hit him right in the stomach. He had to do something and fast. He opened her mouth and breathed into her. She didn't respond. "Oh GD please." He said frightfully. He took her in his arms and swam towards the shore. A surge of relief shot through him when he felt his feet hit the sand. When the water was shallow enough he picked Jen up and ran towards the beach. He lay her down and breathed air into her lungs again. When he pulled away from her he saw that she still wasn't breathing on her own.

"Oh GD someone help! Please…" he pleaded. She still showed no signs of life.

"Please! Someone!" he shouted. Suddenly Jen began to cough. Jesse looked down at her wide eyed and nearly in tears. Jen lethargically looked up at him and smiled.

"You're…quite a good kisser Jess…" Jesse wiped his eyes and cradled her in his arms.

"That's not funny! I thought…" He said quietly. Jen sat up and kissed his forehead.

"I'm sorry babe I didn't mean to frighten you…I'd be lying if I told you I wasn't scared…for a second back there I thought that I was a goner…" Jesse bit down on his bottom lip.

"You think I'd let you go like that…no way. I love you too much J. But be careful okay. I don't know what I would have done if…" Jen silenced him with a kiss. She held him as tight as she could almost as if she was afraid to let him go. The two of them lay there on the beach in silence, listening to the familiar lullaby of the waves. Jen moved over top of Jesse and brought him into another kiss. Jesse's hands traced the delicate outline of her body. Jen pulled away and left soft kisses on his neck. Jesse's mind was racing. He knew very well that if things kept going the way they were he'd only want to be with her more than he already did. He didn't want to pressure her, he didn't want to take things further then they should go, but at the same time, he couldn't fight the way he felt about her. In truth, he wanted to take that next step, but should it be now? He shuddered, and for the first time he realized that he was afraid of what he might do. Jen saw right through Jesse's distant expression. She lay her head down on his chest and listened to the fast paced rhythm of his heart beat. She took his hand and held it gently in hers, calming him down a little. She understood his hesitation and reassured him that she was willing to wait until they both were ready. She sighed quietly to herself and for a few moments a suspended silence settled in between the two.

"Its getting late…we should get home soon…" she whispered. Jesse ran his fingers through her hair.

"I know…but…the truth is…" Jen prepared herself for another one of his amazingly romantic lines.

"You're lying on me and…I'm too lazy to get up…" Jen sat up and shoved him.

"You're a pain in the ass you know that?" She retorted. "No pain no gain!" he said as he stood up and brushed the sand off his surfing shorts.

"C'mon I'll race ya home! I don't want to keep you out here all night!" Jen said as she jogged off in the direction of her house. Jesse smiled to himself, taking in every moment of the night they had. He stood there and watched her for a bit, realizing that their time together was now a day shorter and as he followed after her he hummed a familiar tune to himself.

"Don't you leave me…oh cuz will never let you go…don't you leave me…don't you go…" (From Don't You)


	34. Chapter 33: Foodfight!

In the middle of a humid summer night Jesse found himself staring up at the lazily turning fan on his ceiling. He let his eyes wonder over to the window next to his bed. It was still dark out.

"What a night…" He said to himself as he thought over everything that had happened. He listened to the sound of restless waves hitting the beach and remembered the time he'd spent with Jen just a few hours before. He couldn't help but realize how much she'd changed in such a short time. He still hadn't forgotten how she'd pushed him away when he tried to get close to her just a few weeks before. But today she'd hinted at maybe wanting to take their relationship a bit further. Jesse closed his eyes and remembered the feel of her body against his.

"…not good…" he groaned.

. The taste of her peach flavored lip gloss still lingered on his lips. He started to lose himself to the thought of one of her kisses. He imagined her lying there next to him as she had earlier that night on the beach. He swallowed hard and turned his back to the window, trying to block out the sound of the ocean and his thoughts of her. He closed his eyes once again, hoping that his imagination would eventually let him sleep.

A sliver of light shot across his room. Jesse abruptly turned his head towards the doorway to see who it was. A silhouette of a familiar stranger was briefly outlined in the shadows then quickly disappeared when they closed the door behind them.

"Hello?" Jesse said nervously.

"Shhh…" the stranger replied as she approached his bedside. Jesse looked up at her through the dark.

"Jen?" he said in almost a whisper as she sat down beside him.

"Who else were you expecting?" she said flirtatiously.

"N-no one…its just…I thought…you wanted to…" she placed her finger gently over his lips.

"…wait…?" she whispered seductively. Jesse swallowed hard.

"..y-yea…" he mumbled as she nibbled on his ear. Fighting his impulses with everything he had, Jesse pulled away from her and looked her in the eyes.

"Jen are you sure you're ready to do this?" he said half dazed.

"…I'm ready when you are…" she said as she brushed her hand along his chest. She pulled off his shirt as well as hers and the two of them fell backwards onto his bed. Jesse kissed her neck and breathed in the scent of her unforgettable cinnamon perfume. She planted soft kisses down his chest. Jesse ran his fingers through his hair, barely able to hold back what he was feeling. His breathing quickened as Jen continued to kiss her way down his lean torso. This felt incredible. He tightly grabbed onto his pillows and let out a sigh of complete ecstasy.

His alarm clock went off. Suddenly Jesse found himself unpleasantly thrown back into reality when he heard Tanner coming down the hallway towards his room. He looked over at his clock and saw his reflection in the digital face. His cheeks were flushed and his hair and face were damp from perspiration.

"Oh no…" he said to himself as he lifted up his blankets and saw exactly what had happened. Before he could say or do anything about the situation, Tanner came barging into his room.

"Jess! Get up! Get dressed! We're going hiking!" he said while reaching over top of Jesse to open the blinds. Jesse nervously avoided any eye contact with his brother.

Why of all mornings did Tanner have to choose this one to come into his room? Jesse didn't move he couldn't, he just lay there in complete shock staring at the wall. Tanner reached down and shook him.

"Jesse what part of get up do you not understand! C'mon we're leaving in 20, and you still need to get your stuff ready!" he said irritably. Jesse frantically searched for some type of excuse.

"Um…Tanner I...I ah didn't sleep very well last night…so I think I'm gunna stay here. But you guys have fun." He lied. Tanner rolled his eyes.

"Bullshit, Get out of bed!" Jesse didn't move.

"Well if you won't get up yourself, I'll do it for you." Tanner said as he reached down and started to pull off Jesse's covers.

"STOP!" Jesse shouted while trying his hardest to hold on to his blankets. Tanner only pulled harder.

"What is wrong with you! Get up!" Tanner said angrily. Jesse reached out a pushed him.

"Just leave me alone Tanner! I can get up myself! Get off my bed!" Jesse shouted, still avoiding Tanner's shocked expression.

"Jess, what is going on with you? They're just blankets! What's wrong are you hiding someone between the sheets or something?" Tanner teased. Jesse looked away from him feeling completely embarrassed.

"…not exactly…I just need to be left alone right now okay…?" Jesse said quietly. Tanner's eyes widened as he understood the reason for Jesse's embarrassment.

"Oh…wow... I'm totally sorry bro…I had no idea…" Tanner said nervously. Jesse half smiled.

"It's fine…but…can you leave now or do you have something else you wanna tell me?" he said feeling a little on edge. Tanner looked flustered.

"Yea I'm going…but will you be ready to go in 20 minutes?" he asked as he walked backwards towards the door. Jesse nodded.

"Great! See ya then." As soon as Tanner closed the door Jesse got up out of bed and folded up his sheets and blankets and walked over towards the laundry basket. Just as he was crossing the room, Tanner unexpectedly opened his door and poked his head in.

"Oh by the way, congrats little bro! You're growing up!" he teased.

"What are you my mother! GET OUT!" Jesse shouted as he threw the nearest item of clothing at Tanner's head. After Jesse had showered and changed into a new set of clean clothes.

He grabbed his backpack and stuffed it full of what he thought were must have items for a hiking trip. Ipod, PSP, candy, boxers, t-shirts, sleeping bag, magazines, PEZ, Starbucks card, wallet, socks, boots, flip flops, pillow, and camera. Just before he finished packing Jesse reached into his sock drawer to grab his lucky bracelet that he brought with him on all his trips. Once he put it on, he zipped up his bag and headed down stairs.

When he walked into the front hall he set his stuff down by the door and looked around for his brother.

"Tanner? I'm ready to go now." He shouted. He heard someone walking around his kitchen. Jesse walked over to see who it was.

"Tanner aren't we leaving n…" Jesse was surprised to see Jen standing in the kitchen making breakfast for two. "Oh…hi Jen…" Jesse mumbled, barely able to look at her after the night he'd had.

"Hi Jess! Come sit! I'm making breakfast!" she said excitedly as she poured two glasses of orange juice.

"Sure…but aren't we leaving soon? Tanner said…" she cut him off.

"Tanner just wanted to get you downstairs so that you and me could have breakfast, but we're leaving as soon as him and Cali get back." She said smiling.

"Oh…do you know where they went?" Jesse said as he sat down at the table.

"I'm not really sure. Tanner said something about having to go get something for you. He and Cali should be back in a few minutes." She said while taking four overly cooked pancakes off of the stove. Jesse felt a bit queasy at the smell of burnt blueberries coming from what Jen called breakfast. She set the two plates on a tray and brought them over to the table. Jesse stared down at the two pitch black pancakes sitting in front of him and smiled nervously at Jen. He picked up is fork and played with a seemingly eatable strawberry on the side of his plate.

"Go on, try it. It won't kill you." Jen said encouragingly.

"Oh yes it will…" Jesse thought to himself as he cut off the smallest bit possible and forced it into his mouth. It was crunchy. Jesse's attempt to smile immediately failed as he realized that he might as well have been eating charcoal. Jen was silent, except for the sound of her own chewing, or crunching for that matter.

"Jen…?" Jesse said hesitantly.

"Uhuh…?" she replied.

"These suck." He said frankly.

"Yea they're awful…" she said while pushing the plateful of charbroiled pancakes as far away from her as possible.

"You can't cook." Jesse said honestly.

"I know. I don't know what drove me to think I could this morning." She teased. Jesse laughed.

"I don't know what would drive you to think you could any morning." He said smirking. Jen picked up a pancake and threw it at him. It hit him square in the face. He stared at Jen in complete shock.

"I know you did not just do that..." He said while arming himself with a particularly rock hard pancake. Jen got up and starting moving back towards the island in the corner of the kitchen.

"Jesse, put the pancake down…I was just kidding!" she said timidly. Jesse continued to advance slowly towards her. Jen hid behind the counter.

"I'm warning you Jess…" he still came towards her. Jesse rounded the corner and found Jen hiding near one of the bigger cabinets.

"Gotcha!" he shouted as he threw the pancake directly at her. She dodged it and grabbed a medium sized bowl behind her.

"I told you not to come any closer..." Jesse reached out, grabbed her by the waist and pulled her in close to him. "Or what?" he said flirtatiously.

"Or this…" Jen said as she poured a full bowl of pancake batter over his head. Jesse cringed at the feel of slimy blueberries sliding down the sides of his face. Jen burst out laughing. Jesse glared at her mischievously.

"You look thirsty Jen, have some OJ." Before Jen could say or do anything he picked up a half filled bottle of orange juice and poured it over her head.

"Ohh…myy…GD" Jen gasped. "That's it, you're gunna get it." She said angrily. Jesse ran around the other side of the island and hid behind a chair. Jen grabbed a handful of flour and followed him. Just as soon as Jesse got up to see where she was he got a face full of flour. Jen couldn't stop laughing. Jesse grabbed a small honey bottle sitting on the counter and squirted a fair amount into both of his hands.

"Okay, okay I give. Friends?" he said smiling. Jen looked at him skeptically. Before she could decide whether or not to trust him Jesse slapped his hands on both sides of her face and smudge honey all over her.

"Now this is a face only a mother could love!" he said laughing.

"You're a dead man. That's it." Jen picked up 2 eggs in each and started chucking them at Jesse full force. He managed to dodge the first egg but was hit in the chest by the second, the third hit him on the side of his shorts, and the fourth caught him in the ear. He took off his egg covered shirt and grabbed a Hershey's chocolate syrup bottle and hid it behind his back. Once he was close enough to Jen he took full advantage of what she was wearing and squirted nearly a full bottle of chocolate syrup down her white tank top. She screamed then retreated to the fridge to grab the whipped cream. Jesse pushed her up against a nearby cabinet and poured sprinkles into her hair while she sprayed whipped cream in every which direction. The two laughed uncontrollably at themselves. Jesse looked like a half baked sugar cookie and Jen like a chocolate covered cupcake. Jesse leaned down and kissed her between laughs.

"You taste amazing!" he teased. "What can I say? I'm a sweetheart." Jen said just before she brought Jesse in for another long kiss. The front door opened. Jen and Jesse managed to separate themselves just before Cali and Tanner rounded the corner and came into the kitchen.

"What…" Tanner gasped.

"Happened?" Cali said still unable to get over the sight of the kitchen much less Jesse and Jen. Guilty smiles spread across both their faces.

"Well ya see we um…" Jesse began.

"Were just cleaning up, we'll be ready to go in 20 minutes." Jen said responsibly. She turned around to face Jesse.

"Can I use your shower?" she asked.

"Uh...what do you mean by my shower?" he whispered. Jen elbowed him in the ribs.

"Not I'm not showering with you moron! I meant to ask if there was one downstairs I could use." Jesse turned bright red.

"I knew that…" he replied nervously. Tanner and Cali looked at each other.

Okay well if you two can shower…separately…and then be dressed and ready to go in 20 minutes then we'll forgive you for ruining the kitchen." Cali said authoritatively. Jesse and Jen nodded and headed out of the kitchen. Just before Jen left the room she turned around to face Cali and Tanner.

"What about the mess in here? Shouldn't we clean up first?" Tanner shrugged. "Well you should, but we can take care of it. That way, things will go faster. You guys owe us one okay?" Jen nodded then started down the hallway.

"Jen, just incase you wanted to know, the nearest shower is in the bathroom three doors down on your left." Cali said assuredly. Jen turned around and looked at her.

"Thanks Cal…but um…how'd you know that this is Tanner's house?" Cali and Tanner looked at each other, both of them blushing.

"Ah well ya see...um…" Tanner began. "I ah…" Cali stumbled. Jen settled their nervousness with a smile. "Never mind guys, let's just call it a lucky guess!" she said laughing. Jesse leaned over the banister and looked down at Tanner.

"Aw congrats big bro you're growing up!" he teased.

"Oh so that's how it is Jess? Hey Jen you're standing in front of the linen closet… would you mind bringing Jesse up some clean sheets? He could use them." Jen looked at Tanner feeling completely confused. Jesse glared at his brother.

"Tanner one more word and I swear." He warned. Cali and Jen looked at each other and shook their heads.

"Boys! That's enough." They said in unison.

"Jesse go shower." Cali said authoritatively.

"Tanner go clean up." Jen said in a similar tone, and as each one of them headed off in different directions they all could tell that this was going to be an interesting trip.


	35. Chapter 34: Breaking up is hard to do

"Jess! Let's Go!" Tanner shouted from the bottom of the stairs as Cali and Jen made their way out the front door. Jesse, who was still up in his room stepped out of the shower, grabbed a towel and quickly dried his hair. He then threw on his favorite Diesel t-shirt, and slid into a faded pair of True Religion jeans then picked up his hiking bag and stumbled out the door. He put in his earphones then lazily trudged down the stairs barely able to keep his flip flops on. He nonchalantly glanced over at Tanner, who was at this point, beyond impatient.

"Um…what part of move do you not understand!" Tanner said angrily. Jesse rolled his eyes and continued making his way down the stairs. Tanner walked up to him and pulled out his headphones. Jesse glared at him.

"Why did you do that?" he said irritably.

"Cuz you don't listen, I've been yelling at you to get down here for a half hour! If you weren't plugged into your Ipod all the time then…" Jesse interrupted him.

"Then I'd probably jump off a bridge cuz I'd have to listen to you blabbering on about Cali 24/7…no offence but I prefer Greenday." He said coolly. A sly smile spread across Tanner's face.

"So..how was the concert…and the beach?" he said casually. Jesse stared at his brother for a good 30 seconds, completely unable to believe that Tanner somehow knew what he and Jen had been up to the night before.

"Uh…it was good…" he replied making sure his answers were as vague as possible.

"The beach or the show?" Tanner said cunningly. Jesse hated when his brother would subtly interrogate him like this. He'd never been a fan of being the youngest.

"What are you getting at Tanner? If you're asking about what me and Jen did that night…you're wasting your time…nothing happened…you're acting like you saw us or something…" Jesse quickly stopped himself, realizing he had given his brother enough ammo to launch a full fledged birds and the bees lecture. Tanner grinned.

"Nothing huh?" he said suspiciously. Jesse's face turned bright red.

"Um…well nothing serious…we just…" Tanner raised his hand in front of Jesse's mouth.

"I don't want details…I just want you to do one thing…" Jesse eyed him skeptically; knowing full well that his brother was about to make some kind of ridiculous request. Tanner reached into his backpack and pulled out a crumpled CVS bag, then shoved it into Jesse's chest.

"Ow! That hurts you ass, what'd you put in there? Midol for your mood swings?" Jesse said sarcastically. Tanner laughed.

"No, I bought something for yours." Jesse glared at him then looked into the bag.

"Trojans!" he said in nearly complete shock. Tanner shrugged.

"What's wrong? Do you want a different kind?" Jesse slapped his forehead.

"NO! Its not that at all…I just…don't understand why…you got them…for me…" he said feeling completely at a loss. Tanner smiled.

"Well…I bought them because I trust you to be responsible…and I think your old enough now to handle yourself…" he said sincerely. Tanner's remark might have been sentimental if the moment hadn't been so awkward. Jesse looked away from him.

"Tanner…I…I don't think I'm ready for this…I mean I don't even know if she's…" Jesse's voice trailed off as he lost himself in his thoughts. Tanner understood his younger brother's uneasiness as he remembered a time when he too felt the same way Jesse did.

"Now listen Jess…I'm not trying to promote anything here but…in all truth…you'll know when you're ready… you both will…but…despite the romance…when you do know, you've gotta be safe. I don't want a louder and uglier baby version of you running around anytime soon, so be careful okay?" he said seriously. Jesse smiled and put the box in a smaller compartment of his backpack.

"Thanks bro…its good to know that you're useful for something…" Jesse said sarcastically. Tanner rolled his eyes.

"Haha you're funny…Oh by the way…Cali picked those out for you…I told her extra smalls should work out just fine for a pip squeak like yourself…" Jesse cracked his knuckles.

"What did you say? Come over here and tell me that!" Jesse said as he began to chase Tanner down the stairs. "Well you know what they say, size doesn't matter…but there are exceptions…" Tanner replied as he sprinted out the door towards his car with Jesse following him close behind.

"Hey Jess!" Jen said cheerfully as Jesse threw his stuff in the back of Tanner's car and sat down next to her.

"Hey there iron chef." He replied sarcastically then leaned over to kiss her. Jen reached out and gently placed her finger over his lips.

"Um…the fact that your brother and my cousin are 3 inches away from us is just a little weird…" she said acknowledging the awkwardness of the moment. Tanner turned around and grinned devilishly at his brother. Jesse looked from Jen to Tanner and scowled. He crossed his arms and angrily sat back in his seat, frustrated by the fact that for the next 24 hours he and Jen probably wouldn't get any alone time.

"Aw what's wrong Jesse? No smoochy woochy for you?" Tanner jeered. Jen glared at him then promptly hit him over the head with the nearest Cosmopolitan magazine. Jesse burst out laughing.

"Tanner I'm sorry but smoochy woochy is definitely the dumbest thing I've ever heard you say, not to forget to mention immature. Jesse and I are just enjoying each others company, and if we wanna "smoochy woochy" then we will." Tanner looked at her in complete shock.

Cali laughed at how much like her Jen was becoming. Jesse smiled at her warmly, he couldn't have been happier to have her with him. Jen leaned over and kissed Jesse softly on the lips then rested her head his shoulder. Jesse placed his arms around Jen and held her close to him. He closed his eyes and smiled as he leaned against her. Tanner grimaced.

"Blecccchhh…the faster we get there the better, I don't know how much longer I can stand this…" he said sarcastically. Cali glared at him.

"Oh leave them alone, its cute. I remember when we used to be like that…" she said hinting at her miniscule dissatisfactions with her and Tanner's current relationship.

"…what's that supposed to mean Cal? We're still like that aren't we?" Tanner said feeling the slightest bit hurt by Cali's remark. Cali kept her focus on the highway.

"Yea…but we're both going to college soon Tan…I just don't know if a relationship from high school can last that long…" she said realistically. Tanner couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Cali…you know I want to be with you…more than anyone else I've ever met or could ever meet…I love you…I trust you…we've been through everything together…but now you're acting like what we have is just a summer fling…" he replied. Cali shook her head.

"No Tanner, that's not what I'm saying at all…I love you…I'm just afraid that college is going to…" Tanner cut her off.

"College is going to what? End our relationship? Is that what you're afraid of? Or is that you want to be able to go into your freshman year single and ready to party!" he snapped. Cali was taken aback by his coldness.

"What! How can you say that to me? Do you really think that I'd break up with the guy I've been with for three years for some random Friday night college hook up? If that's what you think of me then maybe I should. Maybe getting over the immature boy who slipped a note in my locker as a way of asking me out is what I need right now. I'm sure I'll find a lot more testosterone in the UCLA math club then I will with a pretty boy surfer like you!" she shouted as she pulled into the parking lot of the hiking grounds. Both Tanner and Cali got out of the car to finish their argument.

"You're such a bitch sometimes Cali! Come to think of it I don't really know why I was so scared of asking you to be my girlfriend. You only turned out to be a selfish whore in the end." Tanner yelled.

"How dare you talk to me like that!" Cali shouted as she pushed him as hard as she could. Tanner walked up to her and attempted to take back his car keys.

"I'm leaving! Give me my keys. You can hike by yourself!" he shouted.

"No!" Cali yelled as she refused to let them go.

"You want them so bad? Take them….I'll walk home…" Tanner said as he abruptly released the keys from his hand and watched idly as Cali was sent flying backwards. She lost her balance and fell back towards the car hitting her head on the bumper. Tanner ran his fingers through his hair.

"Oh my GD…Cali!" he gasped then ran over to her side. Jesse jumped out of the car and Jen followed him close behind. Jesse stormed over to Tanner, who was kneeing beside Cali, and hit him square in the jaw.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING! YOU PUSHED HER!" Jesse shouted. Jen went and sat beside Cali. Tanner was shaking.

"…I…I didn't…s-she fell…I didn't…I didn't mean to hurt her…" he mumbled. Jesse stared right through him.

"Since when do you treat her like that Tanner! You're acting like Dad used to! You're no different…" he snapped. Tanner looked away from him. Cali sat up.

"Jesse, don't worry about it…I'm fine. Tanner…we're not. I'm done with this…and I'm done with us. Jen give me the keys we're leaving." Cali said as she stood up and brushed herself off then got into the car. Jen got into the passenger's seat motioned to Jesse and Tanner.

"You comin' Jess?" she asked.

"Of course…Its better hanging out with you anyway…" he said as he opened the side door and got in.

"Tanner?" Jen said quietly.

"No…I think I'm gunna stay here…I-I've got a lot I need to think about…" he replied as Cali took the car a drove back out onto the highway.

On the way home, the car was silent except for the sound of Cali softly crying.

"Are you okay Cal?" Jen asked timidly from the back seat. Cali didn't respond, she just slid on her sunglasses and wiped mascara stained tears from beneath her eyes. Jen and Jesse looked at each other worriedly, unable to believe that in a single afternoon they'd watched the once perfect couple separate, and as the reality of breaking up settled in, they only held each other closer.


	36. Chapter 35: Not Alone

It rained for the second time that summer later that afternoon. Tanner glumly looked up through the taxi driver's mirror and signaled him to stop right outside of Fletcher's bar in town. The man upfront who was slightly startled by Tanners unreadable expression nervously pushed the stop button on his meter and reached back for the 40 crumpled dollars and 30 cents that Tanner handed him. The driver counted the money and after realizing Tanner had given him too much, honked his horn at the tall dark haired figure that was walking off hastily in the other direction in the rain.

"Kid you forgot your change!" he shouted.

"Keep it." Tanner replied uncaringly as he made his way into Fletchers.

The bar had just begun to settle into its mid afternoon haze which Tanner didn't seem to mind. An attractive young girl her early twenties eyed Tanner from across the room. She played with her hair tie for a bit then pulled it out letting her long and wavy blonde hair fall over her shoulders. She turned back towards her Prada purse and quickly reapplied a dark shade of crimson to her lips. She glanced down at her short jean skirt and tugged at the ends so that she didn't look too scandalous. She sat up straight as Tanner approached her general direction and flattened out the creases in her black corset like tank top. She took a long sip of her margarita as Tanner passed but made sure to make subtle yet flirtatious eye contact with her dark haired stranger. He paid her no mind and continued his way past her to the bar further on.

Tanner sat himself down in front of the neon lighted bar in the furthest corner of the building. A bar tender eventually made his way over to him and asked him the usual.

"What'll it be?" Tanner nodded in the general direction of the beers and let the bartender decide for him. While the bartender went off to fill Tanner's order, the blonde haired girl walked over and sat 4 seats away from Tanner, talking loudly on her cell phone as if she were trying to imply that she had her attention on other things besides him. Though he knew she was attempting to get his attention, he ignored her, he had no interest in anything much less anyone at the time. There was only one person on his mind and he wasn't sure how long he could keep her there if she really had put an end to their relationship. The bartender brought him over a drink and he nodded thanks and sunk back into his broken state of mind. He stared blankly at the small beads of water that slowly made their way down his yellow and blue colored Corona bottle. The music from a nearby radio faded in and out of his consciousness as the familiar tune of him and Cali's song "Yellow" siphoned through his ears. His whole body was overwhelmed by waves of an unfamiliar emotion that had been triggered by the somber but sweet melody. He took a long sip of his beer and tried to drown his sorrows but found no comfort in his intoxicating companion. He couldn't help but suddenly recognize the all too familiar discomfort that accompanied him. He thought of the day he received that unforgettable phone call from his parents about Jesse and his accident. He remembered their telephone conversation which was unlike any other he'd ever had. He'd only be able to hear the few words that came from his father's trembling voice.

"Jesse….accident…hospital…" those were all it took to put him in the same mental state that he was experiencing now.

He remembered hearing his father cry for the first time, and the way he barely could articulate the word "coma". The shock of such a short and fragmented sentence immediately brought Tanner to his knees. He remembered dropping the phone but not even noticing it slip from his fingers. Cali had heard him from the other room. When she saw him sitting there in a position similar to the way a child does when they've lost something, she knew something had gone terribly wrong. She'd placed her hands on the sides of his face and looked into his nearly expressionless eyes and understood the situation without saying a word. After a few minutes of silence Tanner mumbled softly to her "My brother…he's not okay…and I don't know if he will be…." And she had packed her bags and was ready to leave with him as soon as she could.

That evening Cali was sitting on a plane with Tanner in her arms. Seven hours later they arrived at the hospital walking hand in hand and gradually preparing themselves to face a situation that only exists in the nightmares of most people. Cali had even stayed by Tanner's side when he broke down at the sight of his brother shortly after the accident. She had even been with him when he protested her company, saying things like "I don't need you and leave me alone." When he really meant that he needed her now more than ever. Cali had supported Jesse in the months that followed his accident, treating him as if he were the younger brother she would have liked to have. Even at the time of her own parent's divorce she had gone to Tanner because she trusted him. Never letting depression or hardship get the best of her Cali had made quite an impression on Tanner's life and he had done the same in hers. When he was lonely the only one who could fill that void was Cali. She was his best friend. The only one he'd really ever wanted to be with and the last one he'd ever do anything to hurt. So what had gone wrong? Why had he said the things he had to her earlier that day? Was he really becoming the man his father had been? A man who'd caused a relationship so much injury that in the end he'd nearly lose the ones he loved? He promised himself he wouldn't make that mistake the day his parents divorced, and Cali had as well. And as he and Cali's signature song came to an end he realized that she was irreplaceable and he wasn't about to lose her.


	37. Chapter 36: Surprises

Cali walked out into the damp summer air that always followed the rain. She curled herself into the arms of a white Adirondack chair and stared out over the ocean. Today even the sound of the waves was unsettling. The usual calm that she had grown accustomed to when she and Tanner spent

their evenings on this balcony together seemed distant and unattainable. Cali pulled her arms inside Tanner's navy blue UCLA sweatshirt and breathed in the scent of his cologne. She briefly wandered in a memory and let a few sea salt tears trail down the sides of her face. She flinched at the sudden feel of someone's arms reaching around her from behind

"Hey there, you okay?" they asked. Cali's heart jumped at the comfortingly familiar sound of Jesse's voice. She quickly wiped her eyes and attempted to hide her grief ridden expression.

"Yea I'm ah…I'm…not doing too well Jess…" she said, her voice trembling. Jesse rested his chin on Cali's shoulder and held her even closer to him.

"…I know…you've had a rough morning." He replied.

"Tell me about it…I lost of the one person in my life who I…" she paused and tried to keep herself from crying. "Love?" Jesse said tenderly. Cali was briefly comforted by the sincerity in Jesse's voice.

"Listen Cal…I've known you for awhile now, and I'd be lying to you if I said that you weren't one of the most important people in my life right now. I know that all relationships have their fallouts…look at my parents if you want proof. But to be honest, Tanner doesn't just care about you, but he needs you more than anyone. Trust me I've had to deal with his "I think I'm going to marry that girl" speeches everyday since he met you. You guys really are perfect together and what happened earlier this morning isn't going to change the way either of you feel. So if anything, reconsider this whole break up deal. I know what its like to lose someone you love and I don't want you to have to go through what I have just because of a little fight. Okay?" Cali looked up at Jesse in a way that she hadn't before, the young boy that she was so used to looking after was not standing in front of her now. Jesse reminded her of just what she loved about Tanner. He half smiled when he saw the glimmer in Cali's eyes briefly reappear. Cali stood up and ruffled Jesse's golden blond hair.

"You know something?" Jesse shook his head a smiled.

"Nah what?" he asked.

"You're growing up too fast kid, don't forget to slow down and enjoy the little things." Cali said lightheartedly, then leaned in a kissed him on the cheek.

"See ya later Jess, I've got relationship to save." She said as she turned and walked back inside.

Jen came up the stairs into Cali's room and walked outside to the Balcony where Jesse was standing.

"Hey Jess! What's up? Did you talk to Cali yet?" she asked cheerfully then gently wrapped her arms around his waist. He smiled warmly and pulled her in closer to him.

"Yea, I think her and Tanner are gunna be okay." He said assuredly.

"I hope so…that fight worried me this morning…mainly because the end of the summer is putting pressure on everyone…everything is 3 times more intense then it needs to be…I just don't wanna think about leaving…" Jesse placed his finger gently over her lips.

"Then don't."

He leaned in a pressed his lips softly against hers, and she his, but unlike before their passion seemed intertwined with a subtle sorrow. Jesse stepped forward towards the door of Cali's room and Jen leaned back against it. He let sigh escape from his lips at the feel of her body against his. Jen ran her fingers through his hair and kissed her way down his neck. She reached under the edge of Jesse's shirt and pulled it off over his head then continued to leave a trail of kisses down his chest. She stopped.

"Ah babe?" she said.

"Uhuh?" Jesse said with his eyes still closed.

"I know this is exciting and everything but you're pants are going beserk right now." Jesse snapped out of his euphoric daze and looked down. His pocket was vibrating. He frantically reached down and pulled out his phone. Jen laughed. Jesse glared at her.

"It's my phone, moron." He said feeling completely embarrassed.

"Yeaa…riighhtt." Jen said sarcastically. Jesse's face turned bright red as turned to faced away from her to answer the call.

"Jesse here? What can I do you for?" he said.

"Hey Jess, it's Tanner um…I need a favor from you." He said loudly over the music playing in the background.

"Okay…where are you dude? I can't even hear you." Jesse shouted.

"At Fletcher's, look I need you to listen to me. Do you remember when we sung that Coldplay song for Cali awhile ago?" he said.

"Yea, definitely." Jesse replied.

"Well I wanna do it live for Cali tonight, at The Cove Restaurant, I talked to the manager and he's going to let us perform. So can you get Cali and Jen down here by 7:00? We're scheduled to go on at 7:30." Tanner said authoritatively.

"Awesome I'm there." Jesse said.

"Great but you can't tell either Cali or Jen about this. It'll be our little surprise okay?" he replied.

"Yea no problem, I'll keep it on the dl." Jesse said smiling.

"Alright I'll see you at 7:00, and tell the girls to get dressed up or something. The Cove is pretty nice." Jesse smirked.

"Yea, okay Joe Millionaire I'll see you then…Oh yea can I drive? That way the girls will be totally clueless." Tanner rolled his eyes.

"Alright just don't ruin my car comprende?" Jesse bit his bottom lip and smiled.

"I can't make you any promises but I'll try." He said sarcastically. Tanner then said a quick goodbye and hung up the phone.

"Hey what was that all about?" Jen said curiously as she walked over towards Jesse.

"Um...nothing, just Tanner." he mumbled.

"Oh what did he say?" she said as she nibbled on the bottom of his ear. Jesse bit down on his bottom lip.

"He…um…made plans for all of us later…so I should get ready…" he said fighting back the urge he had to kiss her.

"When are going?" she asked.

"We need to be there at 7:00." Jesse said quietly, his cheeks were flushed.

"Okay I'll go tell Cali, should we wear something nice?" she asked.

"Don't you always?" Jesse said slyly. Jen laughed.

"Thanks Jess, but what should we wear?" Jesse rolled his eyes.

"Something fancy, it's a pretty expensive place. So I'll see you in 20." Jesse walked over and hugged her.

"I'll miss you." He said sarcastically. Jen smiled.

"You're a loser but I love you." She said as she leaned in a kissed him. A few seconds later she pulled away.

"That was nice." Jesse said smiling. Jen looked up at him.

"Babe?" she asked.

"Yea?" Jesse said with his eyes closed, still enjoying the moment.

"Is that you're phone again?" Jesse bit down on his bottom lip and flashed her a guilty smile.

"Fraid' not…" Jen stepped away from him and walked towards the door.

"I'd get to that shower if I were you." She said smirking. Jesse blushed.

"Don't worry Cali shuts off the hot water in the summer; it'll be nice and cold." Jen said as she walked back inside and closed the door behind her.


	38. Chapter 37: The Cove

While Jesse, Jen and Cali all busily prepared for the night ahead, Tanner headed downtown to pick up a few last things before his performance. He stopped his taxi driver in front of Brooks Brothers then got out and headed towards the building. As Tanner made his way over to the front entrance he passed by a strangely familiar red truck parked outside store. He glanced over at it briefly but thought nothing of it and walked inside.

"Ah Welcome back Tanner! I haven't seen you for awhile! Can I help you with anything this evening?" Tanner smiled as he was greeted by one of his father's good friends and business associates Mr. Reardon. Tanner and his father often came to Mr. Reardon's store whenever a prom or any formal occasion arose in either of their schedules.

"Hey Mr. R! How have you been lately? I actually came by to pick out a suit for a gig at The Cove tonight. Can you help me out?" Mr. Reardon grinned and patted Tanner on the shoulder.

"Of course! How formal are we talking?" he said coolly. "The "I need to convince my girlfriend to take me back" kind of formal." Tanner said bashfully. Mr. Reardon laughed.

"Ah I think I've got just the suit for you. It just came in at the beginning of the week; I think you'll like it." He said excitedly then turned and walked into the back of his store. He reappeared a few minutes later with a beautifully made tuxedo draped carefully over his arm.

"What do you think?" Mr. Reardon said cheerfully. Tanner flinched.

"Well ah…its very…white…and promy looking." Tanner stuttered. Mr. Reardon rolled his eyes.

"Tanner you said you wanted to get your girlfriend back, I brought you the "get your girlfriend back and then some" tux. Will you at least try it on?" he asked. Tanner sighed.

"Fine…fine…but if I don't get Cali back I'm blaming you." Tanner said sarcastically then walked in to the changing room.

He walked out a few minutes later and stood in front of the large dressing room mirror.

"Hey now, that suit doesn't look half bad on you." said Mr. Reardon.

"Um…I look…like Fred Astaire..." Tanner said irritably.

"So what? Is it such a big deal to look classy now a days?" he replied. Tanner laughed.

"Alright…alright I'll take it but can I wear it out, I'm kind of in a hurry!" Tanner said nervously. Mr. Reardon quickly took the tags off the suit and brought it up front.

"Sure! Who am I billing this to?" Tanner fumbled around his dressing room until he found his wallet.

"Here." Tanner said as he flung his wallet in Mr. Reardon's direction.

"Look you can charge it to mine but, Mr. R I really have to go or I'll be late…can I come back here after the show tonight and pick up my clothes and wallet and everything?" Mr. Reardon rolled his eyes.

"That's fine with me but my son's closing up tonight, I'll let him know that your coming!" he replied sincerely. "Thanks R man! I owe you one! See ya" Tanner said as he ran out the door.

"Jess? Are you ready to go?" Cali shouted up the stairs towards his room.

"Um…yea I'm coming…give me a sec." Jesse replied as he fumbled around his room. Cali and Jen both waited impatiently for Jesse at the bottom of the stairs. Jen wore a gold and black evening cocktail dress that Cali had picked out for her at Dolce & Gabbana earlier that summer. Cali wore a beautiful silver and blue dress that she had gotten from Valentino. The two cousins looked as if they were heading to a movie premiere or VIP event but when they saw Jesse clunking his way down the steps in flip flops, board shorts, and a t-shirt the glamour of the moment dwindled a little.

"Uhhh…..Jesse…." Cali began. Jen raised her eyebrows as a look of disgust spread across her face.

"Please tell me this isn't what you're wearing to The Cove?" she said irritably. Jesse shook the damp strands of blond hair out of his eyes.

"Jen, relax I'm gunna change when we get there, besides me and Tanner reserved a special table for you two, we're not going to be joining you guys until later." Jen shook her head and smiled.

"Alright I guess you won't end up looking like a total dork after all." She said sarcastically. Jesse took Jen by the arm and the two of them walked outside.

Jesse escorted both Jen and Cali into Tanner's car then briefly ran back inside to grab Tanner and his guitar cases. He opened the trunk and placed the instruments carefully in the back without the girls noticing, then ran around front and jumped into the drivers seat.

"Alright ladies this is going to be a night that you'll never forget!" he said as he pulled out of the driveway.

Twenty minutes later the three found themselves standing in line outside The Cove Restaurant.

"Okay guys, you wait here to be seated and I'll see you inside later!" Jesse said excitedly as he began to make his way back over to the car. Cali placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Wait…where are you headed off to? Aren't you eating with us?" she asked.

"I'll tell you later I've got something I have to do." He replied anxiously, then bolted off towards the parking lot. Jen and Cali exchanged suspicious glances.

"Um…that was weird...what do you think he's up to this time?" Cali asked. Jen shook her head and smiled. "No idea...but it sounds like something big…"

Jesse ran backstage and found Tanner waiting anxiously for him in the rehearsal room.

"Hey sorry I'm late, are you tuned?" he said as he quickly removed his guitar from its case and ran his fingers across the strings.

"Yea, we're singing The Scientist by Coldplay is that cool? Sorry to change the song on you so fast bro" Tanner replied.

"No its totally cool, but anyways I talked to Cali earlier and ah…I'm thinking things are looking good for you two. Just don't pass up the chance to be with a great girl like her or…I'll have to cut in." he said grinning. Tanner lightly slapped him on the side of the head.

"Hey now, watch it buddy, we're not goin through that again." He said. Jesse looked directly at his brother.

"Look, about that…I'm…I'm sorry that I ah….hurt you and Cassie like that…I was messed up and its taken me spending the summer with you and Jen and Cali for me to realize that and I'm sorry." He said while tuning an E chord on his guitar. Tanner smiled then reached over and patted Jesse on the shoulder.

"You know, you're turning out okay Jess. You had me worried that I wouldn't see the real you again…but I have to say its good to see you back." He said sincerely then ruffled Jesse's hair. Jesse pushed his hand away.

"C'mon man enough with the hair already! We've got a show to perform! Are you ready?" he said as he stood up and headed towards the stage door.

"Let's do it!" Tanner said as he followed close behind.


	39. Chapter 38: Tidal Wave

After Tanner and Jesse's performance at The Cove, Cali and Jen met the boys out in the parking lot and headed back home. As Tanner drove, he searched through various radio stations until he came across a slow song called "Still on my Brain" playing softly on one of the channels. Jen reached over and tangled Jesse's hand in hers then silently leaned over and rested her head on his lap. She looked up into his dark eyes which reflected the dim warmth of the highway lights.

"I wish I could tell you how amazing you were…" she said quietly so that only Jesse could hear. He bit his bottom lip and smiled at her.

"Thank you for being there for me, I never really sing unless I have a reason to…and…I guess I found one…too bad she's putting my leg to sleep." He teased. Jen reached up and placed her arms around his neck then pulled him in for a brief kiss. She pulled away and he smiled warmly at her.

"Shutting me up again huh?" he said grinning. Jen laughed quietly to herself and curled up next to him.

"No…I'm just enjoying the moment." She replied. Jesse weaved his fingers in and out of hers then gently traced lines on the inside of her palm.

"Love" he said softly. Jen looked down at her hand.

"Hah my love line is awful! It's all twisted and weird…and then it randomly ends. I guess I'm doomed to have bad luck in love for the rest of my life!" she answered.

"No…not at all…just look it straightens out right at the end of your hand, and if you do this…" he placed his hand adjacent to hers.

"it continues…" he said softly.

Jen looked away from Jesse as the sudden thought of the end of the summer crossed her mind. Her concentration was broken when she noticed Tanner turning into the parking lot in front of Brooks Brothers. She sat up.

"Tanner how come we're stopping here?" she asked. Tanner unbuckled his seat belt and turned around to face both Jesse and Jen.

"I left my wallet inside, Mr. Reardon said his son was locking up tonight so I'm sure he'll let me in to grab it. I'll be right back." He said then turned and got out of the car along with Cali.

"Let's get some fresh air, its stuffy in here." Jen said as she flattened out the creases in her dress.

"Good idea." Jesse replied as he opened the door.

Tanner stood outside the front entrance of Mr. Reardon's shop and peered in through the window. The door was locked and the lights were all turned off except for a few in the back. Cali walked over to him.

"Watsup?" she asked casually.

"Its locked…which is totally weird because Mr. Reardon said his son was going to be here around this time…I wonder wher…" Tanner stopped mid sentence as he saw a red pick up truck speed into the front parking lot. Just as Jen turned the corner the truck came out of nowhere and suddenly drove up behind her. She turned around and stared straight into the fast approaching headlights. On instinct, Jesse sprinted towards her, grabbed her hand and the both of them narrowly escaped being hit. Tanner and Cali ran over to the two of them.

"Holy shit! Are you alright! That guy nearly killed you!" Tanner said breathlessly. Jen who was close to tears hugged Jesse and nodded.

"Who the hell is that?" Cali said angrily as she looked at the now parked pick up truck sitting a few spaces away from where they were.

" I don't know but I'm about to find out." Tanner said as he took off his suit jacket and handed it to Cali. She grabbed him by the shoulder.

"Where do you think you're going? Did you see what just happened back there? Forget it, Tanner I have a bad feeling about this." She warned. Tanner turned towards her.

"I'll be right back…don't worry about it." He said assuredly then rolled up his sleeves and headed towards the truck.

"Wait up! I'm coming too!" Jesse said as he too took off his jacket and handed it to Jen. She stopped him.

"Are you both crazy? There could be an ax murderer in there or some gang or something! I'm not holding your jacket while you get killed!" she protested.

"Chill out, this is a man's business, now if you'll excuse me, duty calls." He said obnoxiously then ran after Tanner.

The two brothers approached the pick up which was blasting music so loudly that the bass resonated inside their chests.

"You get right, I'll get left" Tanner said as he walked over to the drivers side. Jesse tried to look into the dark tinted windows but saw nothing. The music inside the truck came to a stop as the driver rolled down the car windows. Smoke poured out the sides and both Jesse and Tanner took a few steps back.

"What the hell do you want!" said the driver. Once the cloud of smoke cleared Tanner recognized both the driver and the passenger as Trevor and his friend Conner.

" Trevor what the fuck do you think you were doing? You nearly ran a friend of ours over!" Tanner shouted. Trevor smirked and Conner let out a malevolent laugh.

"Ha you mean that little skank who you're boning now?" he sneered. Jesse clenched his fists. Trevor grinned at Tanner.

"Wow Tan, your little brother definitely a player! A drunken one night stand per girl! One week it's your girlfriend's cousin and this week its mine! He's got some balls to think that I wouldn't find out! Which is to say the least, impressive! But who cares she's a whore she can do what she wants! But hey, your brother's quite the nut job too! Hmm I wonder…Do you think he'll sleep with Cali next!" he snickered.

Both Tanner and Jesse ran up to sides of the truck, grabbed the two guys, and pulled them out of the car through the open windows. A few punches were exchanged between the boys in the heat of the moment. Jesse grabbed Conner and hit him square in the face while Tanner picked up Trevor by his collar and slammed him up against the side of the pick up.

"Don't…" Tanner spat.

"You…" Jesse said as recovered from a hit in the stomach from Conner.

"Ever…" Tanner said while still holding Trevor up off the ground.

"Talk about my girlfriend..." the brothers said in unison then threw two final punches at their opponents.

Both Conner and Trevor weakly scrambled back into their truck and started the engine. Just before they sped away, Trevor threw Tanner's wallet (which still had all of its contents) out his window. He then turned the truck out of the parking lot and disappeared into the highway lights. Jesse smiled triumphantly at Tanner then wiped the blood from the side of his mouth. He was quick to regret his open display of happiness as pain seared through the freshly opened cut on his lip. After a minute of discomfort, Jesse excitedly ran over to Tanner, still exhilarated by the fight they had just had.

"Did you see that! We just totally owned them dude! Nice fighting bro!" he said as he reached up for a high five. Tanner suddenly reached out and grabbed Jesse by the collar of his shirt and slammed him into the front door of Mr. Reardon's shop.

"Don't fucking touch me…after what I just heard you better pray some higher power gives me an excuse not to disown you!" he snapped.

Tanner forcefully threw him to the ground and stormed off towards his car. Cali ran over to Tanner who then loudly demanded that she get in. Jen sprinted over to Jesse who was sitting on the ground still in shock.

"Come on, you can stay at my house if Tanner's still like this when we get home okay? Please Jess get up." She pleaded. He blankly nodded then got up and limped back towards the car with Jen once again by his side, supporting him when he needed her most.


	40. Chapter 39: Torn Apart

"You can stay here for a while Jess, I'm going to talk to Tanner. You kids be good." Cali said as she turned and walked out the front door. Jesse sat motionless on the couch staring blankly at the television while Jen slowly descended the stairs.

"Jess…" she said quietly from behind him.

He lethargically sat up and turned to face her. He instantly forgot about his argument with Tanner at the sight of her. She wore a silver and white velvet nightgown, her hair was draped over her shoulders and in her eyes was a look he didn't recognize but had long anticipated.

Taking full advantage of his silence, she slowly walked over towards him and placed her arms around his neck and sat overtop of him. He attempted to speak but couldn't as she pressed her lips passionately against his. He winced at the slight pain she caused him with the gesture.

"Jen…we can't do this…" he said in between kisses. She nibbled lightly on his ear hoping to convince him otherwise.

"…Jen…" he said sternly then pulled away from her. She looked into his eyes and couldn't understand their distance.

"I'm sorry…" she whispered.

Jesse was quick to notice her hurt expression. He knew that this was neither the time nor the place to be with her considering the current situation with Tanner, but his brother was already far enough from him, he couldn't afford to push Jen away again. He looked back into her eyes and felt his heart sink as crystal like tears began to slide down the sides of her face. He placed his hand on her shoulder.

"don't cry…I'm right here...I want this Jen…I want you to know me…I want you…" he said as he gently kissed her neck.

He smiled as he saw her eyes light up again. She took off his dirt scuffed suit jacket and threw it on the floor. The heat of the moment returned Jesse's focus back on her and he soon began to let the worries that the night had instilled in him fade into the back of his mind. As if trying to release the frustration he still felt with himself and his brother, Jesse kissed her hard on the lips and picked her up off of the couch. She held onto him tighter than she ever had, and pressed her body up against his as he carried her up the stairs. The two of them burst in through the door of Jen's room and collapsed on the floor. Their breathing became impatient and anxious as they continued to explore one another's bodies as each moment passed. Jen sat up and Jesse followed. She eagerly unbuttoned her way down his shirt as he lifted her nightgown over her head. He reached around her and undid the back of her bra while she fumbled with his belt buckle and slid him out of his pants. She quickly wrapped her arms around her bare chest. They both stopped. She looked for the first time at his nearly exposed body and he at hers in curious awe. He smiled warmly at how beautiful she was, he admired every curve of her, her perfect mocha colored complexion, her long hazel- gold hair, and her cinnamon brown eyes which lovingly stared back into his. She looked at his broad shoulders, fit for carrying the world, and his defined chest and arms which she had found comfort in time and time again. She looked at his strong hands briefly tremble as he moved closer to her. He gently ran his fingers along the sides of her arms which were still tightly wrapped around her body. She wondered if she was willing to let go and let him see nearly all of her. She looked nervously up into his comforting green eyes for assurance and slowly her grip loosened.

He kissed her.

A door opened.

He flew out of her arms.

She frantically reached for her nightgown.

He reached out for her and called her name.

She ran after him.

Cali blocked her way.

"What are you doing? Let me go!" she shouted. Cali took Jen back into her room and locked the door behind her. Tanner dragged Jesse out of the house.

"What the hell are you doing!" Jesse shouted.

"What I should have done a long time ago!" Tanner replied coldly.

"What are you talking about! I Love her Tanner, I love her, I want to be with her! You can't do this…" he cried.

"Cry as much as you want. You're leaving tomorrow…" he snapped. Jesse looked up at him in complete shock.

"What! It's only Thursday! I'm not leaving for 3 weeks!" he shouted, tears streaming down his face.

"I talked to Dad and Mom earlier tonight about what you've been doing. Drinking, sneaking out, everything. We decided that it's best that you go back to our new home. We have to get you moved in and ready for school so Mom wants you home a few weeks early so you don't miss school." He replied tonelessly.

"I'm NOT leaving Tanner I don't care what you or anyone wants! I can't say goodbye to her…" Jesse protested. Tanner opened the door to his house and marched Jesse upstairs to his room. "Your summer is over Jess, your stuff is packed and you're leaving at 6:00 tommorow…write Jen a letter now because you'll be gone in the morning…." He said as he closed and locked Jesse's door behind him.


	41. Chapter 40: No Goodbye

She woke up the next morning with tears in her eyes, still wanting to see him. Jen looked up at her locked bedroom door which was still barring her from the one person she wanted to see most. Cali was downstairs making breakfast as she would have on any other morning, but Jen sat restlessly up in her room unable to cope with her and Jesse's forced separation. She knew he was only a few houses away and if she could only see him or speak to him she knew that she'd be okay. She stopped and considered the idea that maybe Tanner and Cali would forgive them, maybe this was all a misunderstanding and everything would resolve itself by lunchtime. She tried to convince herself that even though things were bad at the moment, that later on in the day she'd be laughing about the whole situation with Cali, Jesse, and Tanner over coffee. She smiled weakly to herself and walked over to her bedroom door. It was still locked, still a barrier, still an unpleasant reminder of reality. She heard Cali coming up the stairs and towards her room. The door opened and Jen's spirits lifted as assured herself that Cali's presence was a definite sign that everything was back to normal. Cali's stony expression crushed her optimism.

"Cali please…let me see him…I need t…" she pleaded.

"He lied to us Jen…" Cali began. "

He promised me and Tanner and his parents that he never would drink or sneak out or lie to us again. When we found out that he had not only gotten drunk but slept with another girl we thought it was best to separate you two because we didn't want you getting hurt and we didn't want you to be around someone who is that irresponsible. We called both his parents and your parents last night and they also agreed that since he broke his promise it would be best if he didn't see you anymore. I'm sorry but he knew the terms of our agreement with him and he broke his word …" Jen had sat there unable to listen to or even look at Cali.

"What are you saying to me? Are you even the same person who I came here to spend my summer with? Don't you see how far he's come? Don't you see how happy he is here? How much better off he is with us…with me…I need him…Cali…he's done so much for me and I know he shouldn't have broken his agreement but he promised me he would never do it again…he came to me and he swore he wouldn't…and I trust him and believe him even if you don't!" she yelled. Cali sat down next to her.

"Jen, I know he's come a long way, but he broke our trust. We can't allow him to behave that way again, it's what nearly got him killed earlier this year. He lost two of his friends and was in a coma for 3 days Jen! We don't want to see him get hurt, which is why we have to be so tough on him now. The decision his parents, Tanner and I made last night was very hard for all of us…and I'm sorry…but we had no other choice…" Cali said with tears silently falling down the sides of her cheeks. Jen looked up at Cali, feeling terribly frightened and unsettled by her sudden silence.

"Cali….what decision?" she said in almost a whisper. Cali didn't respond. Jen stood up and took her by the shoulders.

"What did you do!" she shouted. Cali slowly reached down into her pocket and pulled out a light blue envelope and handed it to Jen.

"He left…at 5:30 this morning...to take a plane back home…I'm sorry Jen but he's gone…" Jen stood there staring blankly at her cousin, enduring unimaginable pain.

The last two words that she heard Cali say echoed loudly in her ears. The emptiness of the word completely filled her then broke her into pieces. Every image and every moment that was left in her mind of her and Jesse together began to melt and fade as though someone had ruined all her water color memories of him. Each day of the summer they'd spent with one another suddenly blurred in and out of focus. A single word became a single bullet, which pierced the chambers of her heart, and she watched from the outside, as someone else's actions took her life away. She turned and fled down the stairs, through the front halls and out the door grabbing Cali's keys on the way. "Wait!" she heard Cali call out from behind her as she pulled out of the driveway.

She ran mindlessly through the airport, passing by every gateway and every terminal that wasn't his. She looked for him on the faces of strangers and listened for him in voices of thousands of people walking in and out Los Angeles International Airport. She passed the place in the lobby where they had first met and still could see him sitting there on the floor crying for the first time and here she was crying for him, hoping it wouldn't be the last time. She reached his terminal and saw nothing except the closing doors of the boarding gate and carefree stewards preparing to go on another routine flight. She ran over to the window and saw his plane slowly pulling away from the airport, leaving her behind. As it passed she looked through every small circular window and found his, then found him, sitting near the back with his head buried in his hands. She called out his name, hoping that by some miracle he would hear her, but all that existed in this moment, was silence, as she watched him disappear into the fading summer sky.


	42. Chapter 41: The Last of the Summer Sun

"Welcome home Jess, its good to see you!" His mother and father said as ran over to greet him in JFK Airport no more then 7 hours later. Jesse slowly approached them and faked a smile. His eyes were covered by a new pair of D&G aviators he'd picked up in California.

"Its good to have you back Jess." His father said as he leaned over and hugged him.

"Yea I guess…so…the big city's my new home now huh?" he mumbled. His father and mother took his bags and headed out towards the lobby.

"Well we won't be living in the city the suburbs are beautiful and very close by so you can come here as often as you like!" his mother replied. They continued walking.

"I'm sorry we had to end your summer so soon Jess, its just Tanner sounded very worried about you and he said he thought it was best if you came home early." His father began. Jesse quickly picked up his headphones and stuck them in his ears. "I don't wanna talk about it. Let's just go okay? I know I screwed up, I know you don't trust me, so there's really no reason for any of this fake welcome home bullshit. Just forget I'm even here and we'll all be fine and dandy." He replied angrily then stormed off towards the parking garage. His mother and father exchanged worried glances as they only began to realize what pain they'd caused him by asking him to come home so soon.

The car ride home was silent. Jesse sat in back staring out the window at the dark gray city skies and the pouring rain. He fell in and out of dreams, hoping that when he woke up Jen would be lying beside him or standing over his shoulder scolding him for snoring so loudly. He tried to imagine her but could barely put together the fragmented images he had left in his mind. He picked up his cell phone and tried calling her, but each time received a cold metallic response from an operator telling him that the number he had dialed was out of range. He wondered where she was, what she was doing, where she was going, and if she was thinking of him. He found small comfort in the possibility that he might be on her mind and finally cried himself to sleep. He was about to be immersed in a new world, one in which he would have to survive without her.

He arrived at his new home in typical suburbia about an hour outside of the city. His parents eagerly showed him around the house. They took him into room after room explaining their future renovation plans as if he cared. He chose one as his own and unpacked his things monotonously. He felt himself returning to the life that he had tried so hard to escape from. He remembered how back in Miami his parents would go to party after party, speaking with business associates and ignoring his existence. They'd sent him to the local public school where kids like and unlike him would robotically roam the hallways going through the same routine day after day. Drinking, girls, and parties were his only lifeline, his only source of excitement, and his only way out of his parent's socialite prison. Yet, here he was again, about to begin a new school year in an environment which seemed dangerously similar to one he'd lived in before. He walked into his white painted room and felt as though the only thing he was missing was a strait jacket. He collapsed on his bed and stared up at the glow in the dark stars on the ceiling, then slowly began to drift off to sleep with hopes that they would let him see Jen one more time.

He stayed in his room for four days, neither knowing nor caring what was going on in the outside world. He sat at his window and watched the rain from time to time and listened to Hoobastank's "The Reason" on repeat for hours on end. He wondered if anyone would attempt rescue him from the sadness that he was sinking into but at the same time questioned if he even wanted to be saved. What purpose did he have in this unfamiliar place? His reason for being was gone, taken away from him unexpectedly and now he was confined to both his room and his thoughts. His parents tried fruitfully to bring the boy who they'd heard was happy for the first time in months back to life again. Offering him unlimited trips to Starbucks, fancy dinners, movie nights, and other typical forms of bribery for love but he refused them all. On Sunday morning his mother came and asked him if he wanted to meet their new neighbors and then help plan a welcoming party but he wouldn't join her.

Later that night as he went downstairs to grab left over pizza for dinner he passed his parents and two new guests sitting in the living room in front of the fireplace chatting about their lives and debating the upcoming election. He stopped and stared at the wife of the stranger. Her skin was coffee colored and her figure was slender and graceful. Her hair was long and black in color, and her eyes were the same light brown he'd grown so accustomed to. Her smile instantly caught his attention. He walked up to her and interrupted the conversation.

"Excuse me ….but…do you have a daughter?" he asked. Jesse's father stood up and approached him.

"Jesse, you know it's quite rude to interrupt a conversation that doesn't concern you. Please go to your room young man." His father ordered. The woman and her husband intervened.

"Oh no, its quite alright, yes we do, her name is Elizabeth but she wasn't feeling very well so she didn't come with us tonight but I'm sure you'll get a chance to meet her um…" she began.

"Jesse…it's Jesse…" he said quietly.

"Okay then Jesse I'll be sure to introduce her to you sometime this week. She'll be delighted to meet you!" she said assuredly. Jesse's farfetched hopes were crushed.

"Oh…well ah…I…I look forward to meeting her…goodnight miss, goodnight sir…" he said politely as he sadly shook their hands then turned and walked back upstairs.

The following morning he awoke to the sound of his radio alarm clock ringing loudly in his ears. He drowsily got out of bed and made his way over to the shower. As hard as he tried his body still hadn't adjusted to the time change and even so 6:30 Eastern time was never something he could adjust to. After nearly falling asleep standing up he eventually got out of the shower and picked out his new uniform from his closet. "Well at least at private school I won't have to worry about what to wear so I don't get beat up everyday." He mumbled as he put on his pants and slid into his burgundy blazer. He pulled his yellow and red tie around his neck then picked up his brown leather school back and headed out the door.

"Jess let's go!" his father shouted from downstairs. Jesse quickly walked through the kitchen and picked up a poptart on his way out. His mother was getting ready for work and his father was standing outside with his briefcase in hand waiting for Jesse.

"Bye honey have a good day!" his mother called after him.

"Later!" he said as he rushed out the door. He threw his stuff in the back and sat down in the passenger's seat of the car.

"Why can't I drive? I'm four anymore Dad!" he protested. His father pulled out of their driveway and started down the road.

"Because your school doesn't allow you to drive on your own until you complete registration, after you do that today you can drive yourself okay?" he said while typing Jesse's new school location into the Navigator.

"Whatever…this Rockwell Academy sounds bogus anyway. Why couldn't I just go back to public school?" he said angrily.

"Because that wasn't the best choice for you, you're very smart Jess whether you believe it or not and Rockwell is one of the best private schools in the state, you can get a real education here as opposed to your last school where they didn't care if you showed up to class or not." He replied as he turned into the school driveway which was lined with oak trees on either side.

"I'm gunna hate it here." He retorted while reaching back to pick up his school bag.

"Jess, please give it a chance, I'm sure you'll make new friends in no time. Good luck buddy. Your mom will be picking you up at 3:30 okay?" he said as he stopped the car in front of the main entrance.

"Bye…" Jesse said as he got out.

He walked into the front office and filled out his student registration, then headed towards his locker. After putting his things away he looked down at his watch and noticed that he had some free time before classes started. The hallways were crowded and filled with people he didn't recognize. A wave of apprehension overcame him as he continued his way towards the courtyard exit. He took at step out into the autumn air and breathed it in. He enjoyed the silence of this small sunny escape from the hectic halls and walked over towards a large oak tree where he thought he'd sit and spend the last few moments of his summer. He sat down on one side and just as he settled himself a familiar scent caught his attention. He looked around and saw no one but could have sworn he recognized that sweet smell from somewhere. Turned around and spotted a school back with the initials E.J.H on them then he walked over to the opposite side of the tree.

"Excuse me….I'm looking for someone. Do you think you could help me out? She's got light brown hair, beautiful eyes, a perfect smile? Have you seen her?" said a comfortingly familiar voice from behind her. Jen turned around and found herself staring into the same pair of cloudy green eyes she thought she'd left behind her in California.

"J…" he abruptly stopped her, using a long awaited kiss as an adequate interruption. An autumn breeze gently rustled the already fallen leaves beneath their feet, muffling the sound of their first period school bell ringing in the distance.

"You never told me that you went by your middle name Jen, I mean Elizabeth..." he said smiling. She laughed quitely.

"Well now you know..." she replied. A silence settled in.

" Jess, I...I didn't think that I was…" She said softly through her tears.

"Going to see you again…" he replied while trying to hold back his own. They both stopped smiled at each other they way they used to during those carefree days in California. And in that instant they remembered the endless summer nights, the humid but beautiful days, and the hazy afternoons they'd spent on the pier looking out at the azure blue ocean. Jesse pulled her in close and kissed her and she took him in her arms and tightly held onto him without any intention of letting him go.

"I can hear it…" Jen whispered as she closed her eyes.

"…the ocean?" he answered softly. She gently leaned her head on his chest and listened to the sound of his heart beating.

"…it's always been right here…" she said as she pressed her lips lightly against his the same way she had the first time they'd kissed.

The End

**_(California Summer's Two (A Little More Than Summer Romance) will be posted soon! Keep an eye out & Thanks For Reading!)_**


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